French Ligue 1 side Angers have ruled captain Cheikh Ndoye out for the rest of 2018-19 season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in March.
Ndoye was initially diagnosed with sprain after limping out of Senegal's international friendly against Mali that ended 2-1 in favour of Aliou Cisse's men.
Upon his return from national team duty, the midfielder traveled with the rest of his Angers teammates to Marseille for a Ligue 1 fixture but was an unused substitute in the encounter.
Further examinations on the knee revealed a torn ligament which rules him out of action for a lengthy period of time.
The 33-year-old played a part in Senegal's qualification to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and his injury comes a blow for Aliou Cisse ahead of the finals in Egypt later in June.
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Last August, Ndoye returned to Angers for a second stint on loan from Championship Birmingham City and has made 27 league appearances for Les Scoistes who are 12th in the Ligue 1 standings with 38 points from 31 games.