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Cape Town — Liverpool star Sadio Mane is reportedly not injured after he left the pitch in tears following Senegal’s win over Equatorial Guinea on Saturday.

Mane has once again been in fine form for the Reds in 2018/19 however he has seemingly had his struggles for his country in international action.

The 26-year-old, who has eight goals in all competitions for the Jurgen Klopp-coached outfit, left the pitch in tears after his nation’s 1-0 victory.

He was seen to be consoled by teammates who were trying to comfort him.

It appears his emotional reaction occurred as a result of the player being booed after he missed a chance in the contest during the second half.

It seems the Lions of Teranga fans believe he does not replicate his form for the Senegal national side as he does at Liverpool.

Nonetheless, the Metro Dakar has apparently confirmed that he did not leave the pitch injured, but more as a result of his performance and the reaction of the supporters.

The publication said: “There is no indication that he is injured. The Liverpool player seems sad because of his bad match.”

Menwhile, he BBC have announced the five contenders for this year’s BBC African Footballer of the Year award.

The shortlist was unveiled to football fans around the world during a launch programme in Lagos.
The 2018 nominees are:

Medhi Benatia – Juventus and Morocco

Kalidou Koulibaly – Napoli and Senegal

Sadio Mané – Liverpool and Senegal

Thomas Partey – Atletico Madrid and Ghana

Mohamed Salah – Liverpool and Egypt

Voting kicked off on Saturday, November 17 and will run until 20:00 Sunday, December 2 when the vote closes. The public can vote online for their favourite player here.

Isaac Fanin, presenter of BBC African Footballer of the Year 2018, says: “It’s been an interesting year for African football, especially with the highs and lows of the FIFA World Cup. We’ve seen some outstanding performances from world class players, both in league and cup matches, so anyone can win this!”

The winner of BBC African Footballer of the Year 2018 will be revealed live during Focus on Africa on BBC World News and BBC World Service on Friday, December 14.

Previous winners of the award include: Mohamed Salah (2017); Riyad Mahrez (2016), Yaya Touré (2015 and 2013); and Yacine Brahimi (2014) — Sport24.