Mane happy to be back for Senegal

SADIO Mane expressed his delight at being back in action after recovering from a hamstring injury, before hopping on a charter plane in the direction of Polokwane.

“I’m happy to be back‚ because it was not easy. I have no excuses now. I was hurt‚ but I worked hard to return.

“I’m ready‚” he said in Paris on Monday before a midnight departure for South Africa.

The 25-year-old Mane had initially been expected to miss the double confrontation with Bafana Bafana – in Polokwane on Friday and in Dakar on Tuesday – because of a hamstring injury suffered in Senegal’s last World Cup qualifier‚ a 2-0 away victory in Praia over the Cape Verde Islands last month.

But his injury healed quicker than expected, and he was in the starting lineup on Saturday for his Premier League club Liverpool as they won 4-1 away at West Ham United.

In Polokwane‚ Mane expects a tough match.

“It will be difficult because South Africa remain a team to be respected, even when they haven’t been getting good results,” he said.

Bring on Mane‚ says Bafana Bafana skipper Thulani Hlatshwayo.

“Tyson”‚ who has returned to the squad after missing the 3-1 win against Burkina Faso last month due to injury‚ is not fazed by the fact that Bafana will face a star-studded Senegal outfit.

Hlatshwayo argued that Bafana had faced similar situations previously and come through unscathed.

He singled out Bafana’s away 2-0 victory over Nigeria in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in June as an indicator of what they can do as a team.

“I personally believe that we can do it [against Senegal] and as players‚ we know how important this game is for us‚” Hlatshwayo said.

Senegal top the group with eight points from four matches‚ while Bafana are bottom with just four.

The hosts must win to ensure they take it down to the wire in Dakar. – Additional reporting by Tiyani Mabasa