England face Senegal on Sunday in the World Cup Round of 16, and while this is set to be a fantastic and intriguing clash, there will be one key absentee at the weekend.
Indeed, sadly, Sadio Mane will not be present for this game as he lost his race to be fit in time for the World Cup.
Understandably, the former Liverpool man was devastated to miss out on a place on the plane to Qatar, but luckily, he has a supportive network around him, including his former captain, Jordan Henderson.
Indeed, speaking on a video on England’s official Twitter page, Henderson says that he called Mane and spoke to him as soon as he found out he was injured.
Henderson spoke to Mane
The Liverpool captain discussed his former teammate’s injury.
“I’ve seen Senegal play a few times because of Sadio, so I’ve tuned in and watched them a few times over the years, they’re a really good team, a really tough team. I spoke to him when I heard he was injured obviously, a big blow for them, he’s a huge player, an amazing player, but they’re a good team in their own right and have qualified for the Round of 16,” Henderson said.
Great friend
This is a mark of the man that Henderson is.
The Liverpool captain doesn’t play with Mane anymore after the winger left for Bayern Munich, and he could easily have ignored the news about his injury.
However, as a good friend and a great leader, Henderson was straight on the phone to his former colleague to check up on him after what must be described as the biggest setback of Mane’s career.
Mane will, of course, want Senegal to win at the weekend, but we’re sure he wouldn’t mind too much if Henderson goes on and wins the World Cup with England.
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