Football
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Southampton boss Ronald Koeman confirms Sadio Mane work permit

Senegal international Sadio Mane has been successful in obtaining a work permit according to Southampton boss Ronald Koeman, and will join up with his new teammates on Friday.

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Mane is still awaiting his Saints debut after joining the club from Red Bull Salzburg in an 11.8 million-pound deal this summer, but will not feature against Swansea on Saturday.

"Yesterday I got the message everything is done. The work permission is OK," Koeman told his pregame press conference on Thursday. "He is flying back today and he will arrive tomorrow. It's too close for Saturday."

Koeman will assess 22-year-old Mane's physical state before determining if the winger can feature against Arsenal in the Capital One Cup next Tuesday.

"The last 10 days I don't know what he did," Koeman added. "It will be a good chance for him to be part of the squad for next Tuesday, for the League Cup game against Arsenal."

The south coast club have no fresh injury concerns after striker Shane Long overcame a head injury.

"Shane Long is OK,'' Koeman continued. "He's [been] doing training sessions for three days. He's no problem for this Saturday. No injuries. Only the case of Mane."

Mane's transfer is the sort which may not occur if the Football Association succeeds in tightening rules over non-European Union imports, but Koeman has defended Southampton's record of nurturing native English talent.

"I'm positive to try in the country to do the maximum for the English players," the Dutchman added.

"I think we do that in Southampton. If you look at the team, our squad, it's a lot of English players, a lot of young players, maybe it's more and more than the rest of the clubs."

The Saints are currently fourth in the table following an impressive 4-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday.

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