Senegal striker Papiss Cisse expressed his disappointment on Friday at having to give up on his dream of winning an Olympic medal.
The 27-year-old was wanted by his country as one of their overage players for the football tournament, which they kicked off with a 1-1 draw against hosts Great Britain at Old Trafford last night.
But Newcastle, who already lost the striker to the African Nations Cup in January, persuaded him not to go.
Cisse told the Evening Chronicle: "It was difficult. I wanted to play, but I had a discussion with the manager as soon as I got back.
"I wanted to play for my country, as representing Senegal is very important to me, but the manager said it was best that I rested.
"He said it was better for me, and I understood his decision.
"God willing, I will score a lot more goals this season. I scored 30 goals last season, but I don't set targets for the next season.
"Maybe I will score 30 again - I don't know."
Cisse was a major hit on Tyneside during the second half of last season following his £10 million ($15.7m) January capture from German Bundesliga side Freiburg.
He scored 13 times as the Magpies finished fifth in the Premier League to secure a return to European football.
Source: AFP
