Liverpool forward Sadio Mane out for up to six weeks after suffering hamstring injury

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane will miss his side's crucial clash against Manchester United and is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring during Senegal's 2-0 win over Cape Verde on Saturday (7 October).

Mane, who was recently named as one of the nominees for the coveted Ballon d'Or, had endured a rather tumultuous start to the new season having been sent off for kicking Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson in the head and could now miss up to six weeks of action for the Reds, who will now face United without arguably their best player on Saturday.

A brief statement on Liverpool's official website read: "Sadio Mane is facing a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury on international duty, Liverpool FC can confirm.

"The winger was substituted 89 minutes into Senegal's 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over the Cape Verde Islands on Saturday.

"And it has now been confirmed that he picked up an injury during that fixture that could keep him out of action for up to six weeks.

"Mane, whose lay-off will commence when Manchester United visit Anfield on Saturday, has scored three goals in four Premier League appearances this term."

Mane has been a revelation for Liverpool since joining them from Southampton last summer but has suffered a couple of nasty injury problems since arriving at Anfield for £35m. Along with his current ailment, the former RB Salzburg star suffered a serious knee problem in April last year and missed the end of Liverpool's charge for Champions League qualification.

Jurgen Klopp is still able to call upon Philippe Coutinho, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino for the visit of United, but the absence of Mane and influential midfielder Adam Lallana, who has been sent to Qatar in a bid to step up his recovery, could have a severe impact with some important domestic and European fixtures on the horizon.

The news regarding Mane will undoubtedly be hard to swallow for Liverpool but will come as a welcome boost to Manchester United, who expect to have both Romelu Lukaku and Phil Jones fit for the clash at Anfield. Lukaku recently sustained an ankle injury but is now "100%" over the issue according to Belgium boss Roberto Martinez, while Jones missed England's recent World Cup qualifiers as a precaution.