Former Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi has opened up on how his transfer to Manchester United failed to materialize.
Recall that the former midfielder had agreed to a pre-contract deal with the Red Devils, which would have seen him sign for the club after turning 18.
However, Mikel, in a chat with Sky Sports, stated that a Premier League rule that states that a player must have played 75% for his country’s senior national team prevented the Red Devils from signing him.
“Fergie loved me. He would always pair me with Roy Keane because he thought Keane would protect me from the likes of Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, who were always tackling people in training.
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“At the time, the rule required players to have represented their national team in at least 75% of matches before being eligible to sign.
“The strategy was to get me in and out before I turned 18,” Mikel explained, referring to the club’s approach to signing young talents, “but that wasn’t possible in my case.”
Mikel would finally join the Blues aged 19 in 2006, going on to spend almost 11 years with the club.
During that time, he made 372 appearances and scored six goals from midfield.
