Sadio Mane Suffers Hamstring Injury Against South Africa, Returns to Liverpool

Liverpool have received some bad news during the international break, as star winger Sadio Mane has suffered a hamstring injury while on duty for Senegal and has been sent back to Merseyside ahead of schedule. 

Per MailOnline's Danny Gallagher, the Senegalese Football Federation has confirmed Mane has returned to England ahead of a second match against South Africa. His last outing also came versus Bafana Bafana.

As reported by James Carroll of the club's official website, manager Jurgen Klopp didn't want to jump conclusions before the team had the chance to check up on him. He said:

“Specifically on him returning to Melwood early to be with us; obviously it is a concern that the hamstring injury is again on the agenda and it will be critical for us to monitor and manage that in the coming days.

“At this stage we haven’t seen Sadio yet to properly assess the extent, but what is clear is that we will have to stay on top of this for the rest of the week and make sure we are careful in how we look after him."

Per the report, the hamstring issue is the same that sidelined the former Southampton man earlier this season. The 25-year-old missed nearly all of the Reds' matches in October before returning in the win over West Ham United.

It's unclear what the long-term repercussions of this latest setback will be, although Goal.com's Mootaz Chehade does not believe the forward will miss too much time:

Mane's return to action against the Hammers was well ahead of schedule, so it's not a bad idea to send him back to Liverpool's doctors. They worked their magic once before and are likely in the best position to nurse the forward back to health once again.

The speedster has been a smash hit at Anfield since his move last year, when he scored 13 Premier League goals and added five assists, per WhoScored.com. His excellent combination of raw athleticism and finishing ability makes him a perfect fit for Klopp's system, built around pressing and pace.

Liverpool have won their last two Premier League matches after a three-game slide in which the defence made countless errors. The back line still appears shaky at best, and Klopp needs his attack to carry the team and outscore opponents.

The Reds will face Mane's former club Southampton after the international break before they make the difficult trip to Spain to take on Sevilla. The La Liga side sit just one point behind the Reds in their UEFA Champions League group and have a sterling reputation at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.