Super Eagles’ Captain, John Obi Mikel has declared that his absence in the national team was not missed, adding that no individual is indispensable.
Mikel, who stated this at the team’s press conference yesterday, in Asaba, noted that without him, the players played well and qualified for the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.
The Chelsea legend is in line to play his first official match for Nigeria in 12 months, when they took on Zimbabwe in a pre-Africa Cup of Nations friendly on Saturday, following his return to the squad after a self-imposed sabbatical.
He paid tribute to the new players, saying they had integrated well in the team.
“Since I wasn’t obviously here, the team did well, the coach did well, like you said there’s a lot of new players,” Mikel said.
‘’We qualified comfortably, if you look at the World Cup qualification, we did well, topping the group, scored a lot of goals.
“I think it is a not a surprise how well we’ve done, but obviously the players that have come in, the spirit of the team was still there, you could see that’s why they played well.
On his return, Mikel said he’s focused in helping the team win the AFCON, as well as help the younger players blend well with their older colleagues.
“My focus now is to help the team win another Nations Cup. I know only few players that are here that have managed to win, but my focus is to help this young team win the Nations Cup.
“There’s a lot of young good players, I watched them at training, how technical and how fast they are. It’s amazing to see.
One thing I know for sure is that Nigeria will always produce amazing footballers.
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