Anderlecht defender Kara Mbodji has revealed that countryman Sadio Mane regularly called him during his injury absence.
The defender had been out of action for five months, having undergone two operations, before he returned to action in Anderlecht's final game of the season on Sunday against Genk.
Mbodji is delighted to have returned to the pitch and was quick to pay tribute to those who helped him through the tough times which followed his knee injury, a list which included Senegal team-mate Mane.
Asked by Belgian daily DH about whether the club are counting on him going forward, the defender said: "I do not know. I did not even have a discussion with the coach about it.
"I just thank everyone at the club, including Jean-Francois Lenvain from the social unit, my whole family, all the staff at Lieven, all the Senegalese people and the several internationals who regularly called me to check on me, including Sadio Mane", he added.
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Mbodji, who is under contract with Anderlecht until 2020, managed a total of 20 appearances across all competitions for the Belgian club in his injury interrupted season and will now be looking to stay fit over the summer months.
He has turned out regularly alongside Mane at international level, boasting 51 caps for Senegal to his name.
