Senegal star Moussa Niakhaté ruled out of Lyon clash against Lens due to injury

Lyon will be without Senegalese defender Moussa Niakhaté when they take on RC Lens in their French Ligue 1 showdown this weekend.

The 30-year-old centre-back has returned to Lyon after withdrawing from the Senegal squad during the ongoing international break due to injury.

Niakhaté featured in Senegal’s 1-0 victory over Comoros in Marseille on Sunday but was subsequently released from the national team and returned to his club for further assessment.

His absence is a concern for Lyon given his importance to head coach Paulo Fonseca’s side. Despite the club’s demanding schedule across multiple competitions, Niakhaté has been one of the players regularly trusted by the coaching staff.

He has already made eight appearances in all competitions this season, including three matches during Lyon’s UEFA Champions League qualifying campaign.

However, L’Équipe reports that Niakhaté is suffering from a hamstring injury and will not be available when Lyon travel to Lens on Friday.

There are also doubts over his availability for Lyon’s UEFA Europa League encounter against Crystal Palace on Thursday, October 15.

The French club will therefore have to manage the defender carefully as they continue to compete on several fronts, with Niakhaté’s return now dependent on how quickly he recovers from the hamstring problem.