Al Nassr star Sadio Mane was a surprise omission as Senegal manager Pape Thiaw announced his 26-man squad ahead of friendlies against Ireland and England next month, Afrosport reports.
Thiaw explained Mane asked to be excused from the squad for personal reasons which he respected.
“It’s a personal decision that is his private business, and I respect that as a coach,” he said in a news conference.
Thiaw has still called up a strong squad comprising of players such as FA Cup champion Ismaila Sarr, Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, Everton duo Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gana Gueye as well as Europa League winner Pape Matar Sarr.
Senegal will play Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on June 6 before taking on England at the City Ground four days later.
These fixtures will serve as preparations for the Teranga Lions towards the reminder of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in September and October and also the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in December.
Full Senegal full Squad
Goalkeepers: Mory Diaw (Rodez), Yevhann Diouf (Stade Reims), Edouard Mendy (Al Ahli)
Defenders: Abdou Diallo (Al Arabi), El Hadj Malick Diouf (Slavia Prague), Ismail Jakobs (Galatasaray), Kalidou Koulibaly (Al Hilal), Antoine Mendy (Nice), Moussa Niakhate (Olympique Lyonnais), Abdoulaye Seck (Maccabi Haifa)
Midfielders: Lamine Camara (Monaco), Mamadou Lamine Camara (Renaissance Berkane), Pathe Ciss (Rayo Vallecano), Habib Diarra (Racing Strasbourg), Krepin Diatta (Monaco), Idrissa Gana Gueye (Everton), Pape Gueye (Villarreal), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur)
Forwards: Boulaye Dia (Lazio), Idrissa Gueye (Metz), Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea), Cherif Ndiaye (Red Star Belgrade), Iliman Ndiaye (Everton), Cheikh Sabaly (Metz), Ismaila Sarr (Crystal Palace), Abdallah Sima (Stade Brest)
