Sadio Mane to play with 15-year-old who’s been called up to Senegal senior side
Sadio Mane will be playing alongside a 15-year-old on international duty with Senegal.
Amara Diouf is the shock inclusion in Senegal’s senior squad to play Rwanda in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers and Algeria in a friendly. Diouf, who only turned 15 in June, plays for Senegalese side Generation Foot and was a standout during the U17 AFCON as the Lions of Teranga lifted the trophy.
The winger captained the side and started every game of the tournament, completing the 90 minutes in every game of the competition except the final group game against Somalia – after Senegal had confirmed qualification to the knockout stages.
Senegal won every game at the tournament and Diouf scored five goals in six games, as well as registering two assists – including one in the final against Morocco.
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And to show their recognition of the U17 squad’s achievements, Senegal have opted to call-up Diouf to the senior squad for the first time.
The player who was born June, 7, 2008, will join up with the likes of Mane, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and Nicolas Jackson.
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Senegal have already confirmed their qualification for the upcoming AFCON which begins on January, 13, and ends with the final on February, 11. Mane and co have won four of their five games, drawing the other, and can afford to give a chance to Diouf with their place in Ivory Coast already booked.
For Mane, he could bring up his 100th cap before the beginning of the AFCON, with the 31-year-old currently on 97 caps – only second in the current squad to Everton’s Idrissa Gueye who is the country’s leading appearance maker with 102.
Mane opted to leave Europe this summer and join the riches of the Saudi Pro League alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, completing a £24million move to end his Bayern Munich nightmare – where he scored just seven Bundesliga goals – and pocket £650,000 per week in the process.
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