Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has stated that John Obi Mikel will decide when to return to the team, reports Completesportsnigeria. com
The Tianjin Teda midfielder has not featured for the three-time African champions since captaining the country at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The 65-year-old recently released a 23-man squad for their African Cup of Nations qualifiers with South Africa on November 17 and friendly tie against Uganda three days later with the former Chelsea player omitted despite his involvement at his club over the weekend.
However, the German tactician has explained that it was the wish of his skipper to be left out of the squad, although he hopes he return for the Afcon tournament scheduled for Cameroon next year provided they qualify.
“Mikel told me that he will tell me when he will be ready to come back. He didn’t tell me yet. So I wait,” Rohr told KweseESPN.
“I hope that we can go with him to Afcon and win it for him.”
Trabzonspor midfielder Ogenyi Onazi is another player omitted from the squad for the games after his injury problem ahead of the doubleheader against Libya in October.
“Onazi had a problem with injury. He left Uyo before the match against Libya [earlier this month].
“I have to be aware of the health of our players. We didn’t want to do injections on Achilles tendons before the games.”
Nigeria top Group E standings with nine point from four games after three consecutive victories.
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COMMENTS
Mikel obi is still very much needed in the Super Eagles
Yea!
I concur! We need him 4 AFCON…
Afterwards, God bless his future
NIGERIA IS BIGGER THAN ANY OF US…
You know Mikel Obi was a young boy when Chelsea took him. So he has spent more than half his life in England and so he has taken to the life of the European where they can retire from international football at tender age. Same with Victor Moses. I have this feeling that Mikel Obi will not resign yet until after Afcon but he will not take part. I think so.
Mikel is a millionaire and has done well for himself. However, his high profile exerts a large toll on his family. His father was kidnapped twice whilst he was on national duty.
Lets remember its a job, he has served us well and deserves a rest to just be himself and enjoy his football. Flying from China to Nigeria is no small journey, a minimum of 11 hours each way, add on going to away matches means a whole day each way.
Our midfield has adequate cover for him as we have shown in the last 4 matches since the world cup. In defensive midfield Ndidi is the first name on the sheet. in attack Iwobi is now the first name on the sheet. What remains is to find which partnerships work best with these two and to find a substitute for when they are not available (suspensions, injuries etc).
Mikel deserves a swansong with the Super Eagles, either a testimonial match or one last competition which by all accounts will be the AFCON 2019 if he is fit.
However it happens, we should wish him well and be happy we had a player who has served us for two world cups (missed out on 2010 because of injury) and as an AFCON winner in 2013