Friday May 08, 2026. 11:00
Former Senegal international Lamine Sane has faith that Pape Thiaw will be able to find a suitable replacement for Kalidou Koulibaly should injury rule him out of the 2026 World Cup.
The Lions of Teranga captain suffered a freak thigh injury on April 8 when he collided with a team-mate in training with Al Hilal and hasn’t featured in the Saudi Pro League since then.
Koulibaly is set to miss the King’s Cup of Champions final against Al Kholood on Friday as he’s still unable to run which leaves him with just over a month to prove his fitness ahead of the global showpiece in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Thiaw’s side will face Saudi Arabia in a warm-up match on June 9 before getting their Group I campaign underway against France seven days later.
However, Sane – who played alongside the 34-year-old centre-back against Madagascar in November 2015 just prior to his international retirement – believes there is enough talent to call upon if Koulibaly doesn’t recover in time.
“We have players capable of filling his absence and Senegal has what it takes to compete in the World Cup. We mustn’t be afraid, that’s football. You can’t control injuries,” the Senegal Under-17 coach told the Agence de Presse Senegalaise.
“If Kalidou Koulibaly doesn’t come, it will be a huge disappointment. He’s the captain, he’s the key player for the national team.
“There are plenty of Senegalese players around the world. If the coach makes choices and Kalidou is unavailable, there will be replacements.
“It’s like when Kalidou Koulibaly joined the team; he replaced some players. I have faith in the coach and the team. I think they will achieve great things.”