Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk has acknowledged that he had hoped to come up against former Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane at the World Cup.
When the draw for the tournament was made, Van Dijk's nation was placed in a group alongside Mane's Senegal side and are due to square off in their opening game.
However, rather than take to the pitch in Doha on November 21, Mane is now recuperating from surgery on a tendon injury.
Mane had initially been selected in Senegal's 26-player squad for the competition in Qatar despite the acknowledgement that he may not participate if the Lions of Teranga did not qualify for the last 16.
That is also now no longer a possibility with further medical examinations by his club Bayern Munich leading to his withdrawal from the squad on Thursday.
Although Van Dijk has known since earlier this month that Mane would not join him on the pitch at the Al Thumama Stadium, the Dutchman has admitted that he is sad about the forward's situation.
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Speaking to the media, Van Dijk said: "I am very sorry that Sadio misses the match against us because this World Cup simply deserves the best players.
"Sadio is one of them. Sadio is world class, he is my friend and I will miss him."
The pair have spent the best periods of their career playing in their same club side, initially at Southampton where they arrived at St Mary's just a year apart.
Mane departed the Saints a year after Van Dijk's switch from Celtic to the Premier League side in 2015, but Van Dijk would follow him to Liverpool in January 2018.
During four-and-a-half years together at Anfield, the pair contributed to Liverpool winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.
Darren Plant
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