Senegal boss Aliou Cisse says he does not agree with Mohamed Diame's retirement from international football as he feels the 29-year-old has many miles left in the tank, but he will respect the player's call.
The Newcastle United midfielder chose to call time on his international career earlier this month after concluding that he does not warrant a spot in Cisse's squad, believing there are more capable Senegalese stars around.
That is a view with which coach Cisse, who had mainly used Diame from the bench since taking over in 2015, cannot agree. And the 40-year-old insists that Diame's decision caught him off guard.
The Senegal coach told the BBC: "I'm completely surprised because everybody knows I have a good relationship with Diame.
"Clearly, it's a personal decision but one I disagree with because he's still young – a good player and his country needs him", the coach continued.
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"He could still give so much as he had a lot of years left in him.
"But he's taken his decision and I have to respect that."
Diame, who joined Newcastle from Hull City last summer, won 36 caps for Senegal after making his international bow for the African country in 2011.
The former West Ham midfielder was born in France, but has only represented Senegal on the international stage.
