Martins explains Saturday withdrawal

Newcastle United forward Obafemi Martins insists he made the correct decision not to play during the Premier League fixture away at Stoke City on Saturday.

The Nigerian international withdrew from the Magpies squad at 11am on Saturday morning, much to the frustration of manager Alan Shearer who had only hours to reorganise his prearranged tactics.

However, according to the British broadsheet The Guardian, the 24-year-old cleared the air with his boss during a meeting on Monday.

"I understand why the manager was frustrated because he had to change his plans," Martins is quoted as saying.

"But I woke up in so much pain that I knew I could not give 100%, so I decided I couldn't play. I didn't want to let the team down.

"And, with so many important games coming up, I needed to think about staying fit for the future."

It is claimed that the former Inter star has been playing through the pain barrier due to a groin injury aggravated while playing for Nigeria recently because, it is suggested, he wore soft ground boots on a hard surface.

Apparently, Martins trained throughout the week leading up to the game as he did not want to disappoint Shearer, who had claimed the forward could be key to the Magpies' survival, but appeared to do so anyway.