Sadio Mane will not be available for Liverpool vs Aston Villa match which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 4, because he has contracted coronavirus. Liverpool football club announced this less than 48 hours before the Premier League match.
The 28-year-old Senegalese left-winger will self-isolate until it is confirmed that he has fully recovered from the infection and that could happen before September 17 when Liverpool will play their 5th Premier League match of the season away against Everton.
Mane was last seen in action on September 28 when Liverpool hosted Arsenal during their third Premier League match of the season which ended 3-1 in favor of Liverpool. He scored a goal in the match. Mane was however missing in action on Thursday, October 1, when Liverpool lost on penalties against Arsenal in the EFL Cup.
Liverpool announced via its official website that Sadio Mane has “displayed minor symptoms of the virus but feels in good health overall”.
“However, like with Thiago Alcantara, Liverpool Football Club are – and will continue to – follow all protocols relating to COVID-19 and Mane will self-isolate for the required period of time”, the club added.
Liverpool football club is under coronavirus attack
The confirmation that Sadio Mane has tested positive for COVID-19 came four days after the Premier League announced that 10 people in the league have tested positive for the virus. This is the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases since football returned in England in June.
As for Liverpool, Sadio Mane is the club’s third high profile players that have contracted the virus in recent times. The first to contract the virus was Kostas Tsimikas. He was confirmed to be infected while on international duty with Greece in September.
The second major casualty at Anfield was the club’s new signing, Thiago Alcântara. The sensational midfielder was confirmed to be infected within three weeks after he joined Liverpool and less than a week after he played his Premier League debut against Chelsea on September 20.
This could be a big reason for concern since these players could have had contacts with other players at the club. The club’s manager, Jurgen Klopp, who is battling to maintain the momentum the club started the 2020-2021 season with, will be more concerned that the virus is targeting his most important players.
A player like Sadio Mane has proven to be indispensable in Klopp’s team. His presence was heavily missed when Arsenal knocked out Liverpool in the EFL Cup on penalties. The Senegalese left-winger has scored three Premier League goals and has provided one assist already in three Premier League games. Hence, Klopp would want to have him back as soon as possible.
