Sadio Mane injury scare could force Liverpool into January transfer market

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Sadio Mane has picked up an injury on international duty. It’s one that could scare Liverpool into the January transfer market.

Sadio Mane started for Senegal on Thursday evening but left the game on 28 minutes with an injury. It’s potentially a massive blow to Liverpool – though, we don’t know exactly what the issue is yet.

Senegal boss Aliou Cisse did say afterwards that it was ‘just precautionary’, per the Liverpool Echo. We’ve been here before, though. Players go off as a reaction and then we don’t see them for three weeks.

It may well be that Mane returns fine for the Arsenal game in a little over a week. But that’s not the point here. It’s a scare that could mean Mane is out for some time – a worrying prospect with Roberto Firmino still injured.

In fact, it’s an injury that could well scare Liverpool into the January transfer market.

Sadio Mane picks up injury

If Mane does miss some games, it’ll give Liverpool a taste of what’s to come. After all, they’ll be without Mane over the winter as he plays for Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Not that it’ll give the Reds a full taste. Mohamed Salah will also be at that tournament, leaving Liverpool without their two most dangerous forwards.

But the club will get to see just how difficult it is to replace Mane – especially if Firmino is also missing.

Salah will still be there, of course, as will Diogo Jota. That third forward, though, will have to be Divock Origi, Takumi Minamino or a midfielder.

Liverpool, then, get to see how prepared they are to cover a major absentee like this. If they look fine and squad players play well, perhaps it’s doable without a desperation January signing.

But if they struggle, they can look at a bad situation getting worse. Covering Mane would be difficult and covering both him and Salah even more so.

Such a situation would almost certainly push them into the January market. Fabrizio Romano claims Liverpool have eyes on transfer anyway but that the Reds won’t ‘panic buy’.

Mane’s potential injury could quickly change that, however. It might be nothing but the fact it could be a problem brings January business to the forefront.