Newcastle midfielder reveals frustration after withdrawing from international duty

Newcastle midfielder Mo Sangare has once again been forced to withdraw from Liberia's international squad due to non-footballing reasons.
Mo Sangare continues to be frustratedMo Sangare continues to be frustrated
Mo Sangare continues to be frustrated

The 19-year-old is is still waiting for his UK residence permit to be re-issued, with the hold-up having already caused him to withdraw from a similar squad in September.

Sangare, who is yet to make a senior appearance for Newcastle, was named in the squad for Liberia's back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo-Brazzaville.

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But these administrative blocks have put a hold on his international ambitions and could continue to do so until the end of the year - and Sangare admits that this has been extremely frustrating.

"I can't wait to play for Liberia but it's this resident permit that is holding me back," Sangare told BBC Sport..

"I have spoken to my manager and he wants me to go and play for Liberia. I really want to go to Liberia.

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"This [residence permit] is out of my control now and there is nothing I can do about it, I have chased it up and the next appointment is in November."

Sangare's continued absence is equally as frustrating for coach Thomas Kojo, who has once again had to revise his squad for the upcoming internationals.

Kojo believes the quality of the Newcastle man would prove a big asset to the nation and is hopeful that the issues will be ironed out soon.

"He would have been a big advantage for us having a player with his height and quality. We need players like that in our national teams," he admitted.

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"We were robbed out those qualities when he played DR Congo. They have a lot of big and strong players and they used that advantage against us by playing a lot of long and direct balls.

"So a player like [Sangare] coming into our team is a plus for us."