Liverpool have urged Sadio Mane not to play in Senegal's crucial match at the Africa Cup of Nations, it has been claimed.
The Reds forward is due to be in action for his country as they take on Equatorial Guinea in their quarter-final clash at the tournament in Cameroon.
Mane suffered an injury scare in Senegal’s win over Cape Verde in their last match, when he was taken to hospital following a clash of heads with opposition goalkeeper Vozinha.
The 29-year-old stayed on the pitch for several minutes, scoring his country’s opening goal, before being withdrawn with dizziness.
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However, the Senegal Football Federation released a statement through the team’s doctor, saying there was no trace of a concussion and the effects of the clash of heads was gone.
"All the symptoms he had on the pitch are gone. His condition requires fairly close monitoring. Everything is normal on the X-ray," the doctor said in a statement.
It also said in the statement that Mane is available to play when Senegal face Equatorial Guinea in their crucial AFCON quarter-final this afternoon (Sunday).
In a report in the Daily Mail, Liverpool are said to have made a direct appeal to both Mane and Senegal to not let the forward play as a health precaution.
Concussion protocols in the Premier League mean that Mane would normally miss the next game, but the forward was pictured on an exercise bike and has been in training - this has led to concerns that he could be involved on Sunday.
The report says that Liverpool have contacted Mane and the Senegalese authorities to make their stance clear - but don't have the power to dictate Mane's availability.
Senegal boss Aliou Cisse said on Saturday that they expect Mane to be fit and available to face Equatorial Guinea on Sunday, despite concerns from Liverpool.
"He's doing well," Senegal coach Aliou Cisse said.
"He resumed training yesterday. We're gradually following his development and he's going to train today."
"The clash between the two players was a serious one, but he's a top-level athlete who knows his own body very well," said Cisse, explaining his decision to allow Mane to initially carry on playing.
"When the clash happened he continued to play, our doctors came onto the pitch, the referee was there too. He was still conscious, the proof was him scoring the first goal.
"He still had his wits about him when he came off. There was no alert on the bench that pushed us to make a change.
"But I can reassure you, the health of Sadio Mane and of all the players is very important.
"We've never gambled with the health of our players, the result will not be placed on top of that."
Mohamed Salah is also in AFCON quarter-final action with Egypt as they take on Morocco, and will be looking to join Cameroon and Burkina Faso in the semi-final.
