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News of Sadio Mane’s return to Liverpool’s Melwood training base without injury this morning will have been welcome news to Reds supporters.

Rumours of Mane sustaining an injury on duty with Senegal - suggestions since dispelled - will have caused concern just as home supporters were getting ready to welcome him to Anfield on Saturday for the clash with Leicester.

That date is now on with Mane almost certain to be in Jurgen Klopp’s starting line-up for the evening clash with Claudio Ranieri’s men.

But Liverpool will need to be prepared for losing their new star man for around a month of this season.

His Senegal team secured their qualification for the African Nations Cup last June and recorded their sixth straight victory in qualifying in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Namibia in Dakar.

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It may be a few months away - with Mane's fitness and form entirely hypothetical at this stage - but the tournament itself runs from January 14 to February 5 in Gabon and includes a third place place-off. Senegal will be hopeful of a strong run in a tournament which they have never won.

The Reds fixture list suggests Mane would join his international colleagues after the away trip to Sunderland on Monday, January 2.

That would see the £30m forward miss the third round weekend of the FA Cup (Jan 7) and perhaps more significantly the away trip to Manchester United on January 14, the home game with Swansea on January 21 and the midweek visit of Chelsea on February 1.

If Senegal did go deep in the 16-team tournament, the away trip to Hull on February 4 would be ruled out while any significant progress by Liverpool in the EFL Cup (the League Cup) would see Mane miss both semi-final legs which are due to be played in the weeks commencing January 9 and 23.

Mane would be Liverpool’s only absentee for African Nations duty with Joel Matip appearing to have stepped away from his international career with Cameroon.

The draw for the competition takes place on October 19 with the top two from four groups of four making it through to the quarter finals.

Mane has played 36 times for Senegal, scoring 10 times and would appear an automatic choice for their squad if fit.