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Fulham manager Chris Coleman has resigned himself to beginning the new Barclays Premiership campaign without Luis Boa Morte.
The Cottagers midfielder has landed a spot in Portugal's squad for the Olympic Games and could be missing for fixtures against Manchester City, Bolton, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth.
But Coleman - who has completed the signing of Andy Cole,Tomasz Radzinski and Claus Jensen - admits there is little he can do to prevent the 26-year-old ace from boarding the plane to Athens.
"We're going to lose Boa for a while, which is not ideal. I didn't want him to go to the Olympics but I have to accept his wishes," he said.
"He was upset at missing out on Portugal's squad for Euro 2004 but he's been called up for the Olympics and he wants to go. There's nothing we can do about that except hope Portugal get knocked out in the first round!
"He's an important player for us - he has tremendous pace and strength and will be sorely missed."