Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw has included injured captain Kalidou Koulibaly in his provisional 28-man squad for the World Cup, taking a risk on the Al Hilal defender following his recent fitness concerns.
Koulibaly hasn't featured since early April after sustaining a freak training injury, but Thiaw has kept faith in his skipper despite the veteran's troubled Africa Cup of Nations campaign earlier this year.
"He's the glue that holds the team together, he's the captain," Thiaw told journalists as he announced his squad on Thursday. "He's in the process of a positive rehabilitation and, with three weeks to go, I think he'll be really ready.
"The World Cup isn't a sprint, it's a marathon, and I think he'll be ready."
The Teranga Lions - who won their second continental crown in acrimonious circumstances earlier this year - have named a stacked selection including Premier League stalwarts Idrissa Gana Gueye, Iliman Ndiaye, Habib Diarra, Pape Matar Sarr, and El Hadji Malick Diouf.
Bayern Munich loanee Nicolas Jackson spearheads an attacking unit containing Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr, wonderkid Ibrahim Mbaye, and Senegal's record scorer Sadio Mane, who has indicated that the World Cup will be his final tournament for the west Africans.
There's also a recall for FC Lorient forward Bamba Dieng, who has scored 10 goals in 22 Ligue 1 outings so far this term, with the 26-year-old making his return to the fold during the March international break after two years in the international wilderness.
Despite his inclusion, it remains to be seen what state 34-year-old Koulibaly will be in when Senegal begin their Group I campaign against France in East Rutherford on June 16. The defender hasn't featured in the Saudi Pro League since April 8, after colliding innocuously with a teammate during a training session.
His club coach Simone Inzaghi has given few details on a potential return date for the ex-Chelsea stopper, having expressed shock at the centreback picking up a potentially serious 'thigh contusion with a hematoma' after merely bumping into a teammate.
Koulibaly has subsequently been out of the Al Hilal squad for their last seven matches, including their 2-1 King's Cup of Champions victory over Al Kholood in Jeddah on May 8.
It is unclear whether he will be included in Inzaghi's squad to face Al Fayha in their final league game of the season, leaving the Senegal skipper with limited opportunity to return to match fitness before the World Cup kicks off.
Koulibaly endured a testing AFCON in which he was twice sent off - missing the final against Morocco through suspension - but did play his part in a strong defensive display across the competition, with Senegal conceding just twice across seven tournament matches.
Should he fail to recover in time, Mamadou Sarr, Abdoulaye Seck and Moussa Niakhate would be Thiaw's options to deputise, although there's no place in the squad for Rayo Vallecano's Nobel Mendy, who made his international debut in March.
Uncapped Moustapha Mbow of Paris FC is another central-defensive option named by Thiaw, with wonderkid Bara Ndiaye - currently on loan at Bayern Munich - also included, likely as one of two potential reservists who will be cut from the provisional list of 28 to a final 26 for the tournament itself.
There is no place for former France U21 international Malang Sarr, currently on the books of RC Lens, who had been rumoured to be in contention for a late run into the squad but must content himself with a place among Thiaw's reserve players.
Lazio loanee Boulaye Dia, an AFCON winner in January, has also been omitted from the squad.
After their opener against France, Senegal face Norway at the same venue six days later before concluding their Group I campaign against Iraq in Toronto on June 26.
Senegal's 28-man FIFA World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Édouard Mendy (Al-Ahli), Mory Diaw (Le Havre AC), Yehvann Diouf (OGC Nice).
Defenders: Krépin Diatta (AS Monaco), Antoine Mendy (OGC Nice), Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal), El Hadji Malick Diouf (West Ham United), Mamadou Sarr (Chelsea), Moussa Niakhaté (Lyon), Moustapha Mbow (Paris FC), Abdoulaye Seck (Maccabi Haifa), Ismaïl Jakobs (Galatasaray SK), Ilay Camara (Anderlecht)
Midfielders: Idrissa Gana Gueye (Everton), Pape Gueye (Villarreal CF), Lamine Camara (AS Monaco), Habib Diarra (Sunderland), Pathé Ciss (Rayo Vallecano), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur), Bara Sapoko Ndiaye (Bayern Munich).
Forwards: Sadio Mané (Al-Nassr), Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace), Iliman Ndiaye (Everton), Assane Diao (Como), Ibrahim Mbaye (PSG), Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea), Bamba Dieng (Lorient), Chérif Ndiaye (Samsunspor).
