Newcastle United's Moussa Sissoko believes teammate Emmaneul Riviere can hit 15 goals in the remainder of this season... Once he finds the net for the first time in the Premier League. Riviere has been nothing short of a flop since making the switch from Ligue 1 side Monaco last summer for somewhere in the region of £6 million. But one of his many compatriots in the Magpie's squad thinks there is cause to be optimistic for the rest of the season, despite Newcastle's main goalscoring threat Papiss Cisse now banned for seven games thanks to 'spitgate'. Moussa, who spoke in soundbites to the Evening Chronicle, said: We know with strikers it can be hard to score your first goal. After that he can maybe score 10 to 15 goals. But you have to score that first one first. He had the chance but didnt score. I hope for him he will score in the next game. The 25-year-old striker has been preferred to Ayoze Perez in the last two games and should have bagged at least a brace during the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United on Wednesday, only to be thwarted by David De Gea. Sounding as patronisingly as they come, Sissoko continued: "He was close. He played well and he worked very hard for the team. He nearly scored his first goal. Knowing him he will work hard in training and come back and try to score. The Frenchman has only hit two goals all season and has yet to find the back of the net in the league. Manu needs to step up to the plate and become THE man in black and white. Sissoko, who will inevitably leave NE1 in the summer after a January window filled with persistent rumour, knows how difficult it can be to adapt for French players in the Premier League, he said: "The English League and French League is different. Manu is strong and he can play in the Premier League. He is showing good performances and he needs to keep going like this. The Toon Army can only pray he comes good.