Amadou Haïdara wore the armband for Mali in Tangier on Sunday, but he did not finish the 1-1 draw with Morocco. The RC Lens midfielder needed lengthy treatment before being replaced, five days before Lyon come to town.
It should have been a showcase night. Instead, around the hour mark at the Grand Stade de Tangier, Haïdara went down and stayed down while Mali’s medical staff worked on him. He tried, but could not carry on, and Ousmane Diakité came on in the 64th minute with Morocco 1-0 up.
The goals came either side of his exit. Abde Ezzalzouli converted a 35th-minute penalty for the Atlas Lions, before substitute Gaoussou Diarra levelled in the 77th minute. The friendly closed both sides’ September-October window.
No diagnosis yet
That is the headache for Lens. As of Monday, neither the Malian federation nor the club had said which area was affected or how serious the problem is, French outlet Foot Sur 7 reported. No timeframe has been given. Everything now hinges on the tests the 28-year-old will undergo once he is back in northern France.
The schedule offers no breathing room: Lens host Olympique Lyonnais in Ligue 1 on Friday, October 9, at Bollaert-Delelis.
A worrying recent history
Part of the concern comes from what Haïdara has already been through. Signed from RB Leipzig last winter, he first had to rebuild match fitness after six months without competitive football in Germany. A groin problem then sidelined him in the spring, and he went under the knife at the end of May, an operation he himself described as minor on social media.
For Lens coach Yannick Cahuzac, it is an unwelcome complication. Mamadou Sangaré, Haïdara’s midfield partner at club and international level, came back from Tangier unscathed. But losing one of the squad’s most experienced midfielders on the eve of a big Ligue 1 night would hurt. The scans will tell.