World Cup digest: Nkunku ruled out for France

France have been dealt another injury blow after Christopher Nkunku was ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar.

The RB Leipzig forward limped out of training on Tuesday and tests have confirmed he will play no part in the tournament.

The World Cup holders were already without Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante due to injury while Raphael Varane is trying to recover from an issue in time to be fit to play.

Reported Chelsea target Nkunku had enjoyed a fine first half of the campaign, scoring 12 goals to sit top of the scoring charts in Germany.

Didier Deschamps has called up Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani as a replacement and he will join up with the squad in Doha on Thursday.

Kolo Muani has scored eight times since moving to Germany this summer and was preferred to Manchester United attacker Anthony Martial.

France will be in Group D in Qatar with Australia, Denmark and Tunisia. They start their campaign against Australia on 22 November at the Al Janoub Stadium.

Mane doubtful for 'first games'

Senegal forward Sadio Mane will miss the "first games" of the World Cup in Qatar due to injury, a Senegal soccer federation official was quoted as saying by local media.

The 30-year-old striker was named last week in Senegal's 26-man squad for the World Cup, which starts on Sunday, despite picking up an injury to his right fibula playing for Bayern Munich in the run-up to the tournament.

Senegal coach Aliou Cisse said Mane, whose decisive penalties secured the Africa Cup of Nations title and World Cup qualification for his country this year, did not require surgery but hopes of him lining up against the Netherlands on 21 November appear slim.

"We will have to rely on playing the first games without Sadio and win without Sadio because we have 25