John Obi Mikel, a former captain of the Super Eagles, has recently shared insights about how a Premier League regulation prevented Manchester United from completing his transfer despite the existence of a pre-contract agreement.
Initially, Mikel was anticipated to join the Red Devils upon turning 18. However, this transfer did not come to fruition due to a league rule mandating that foreign players must have participated in at least 75 percent of their national team’s senior matches.
In an interview with Sky Sports, the ex-Chelsea midfielder mentioned that the then-manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, was determined to bring him to Old Trafford.
“Fergie was very fond of me. He often paired me with Roy Keane because he believed Keane would shield me from the likes of Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, who were notorious for tackling during training,” Mikel recounted.
He further noted that it was this Premier League regulation that ultimately obstructed the transfer.
“At that moment, the rule stipulated that players had to have played for their national team in a minimum of 75 percent of the matches before they could be eligible to sign,” he explained.
Mikel also mentioned that Manchester United attempted various approaches to secure his transfer prior to him turning 18, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
“The strategy was to sign me before I turned 18, but that proved impossible in my situation,” he added.
Ultimately, the midfielder signed with Chelsea in 2006 at the age of 19 and went on to have a successful career at Stamford Bridge. Throughout nearly 11 years with the club, Mikel made 372 appearances and netted six goals, establishing himself as one of Chelsea’s most reliable midfielders.
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to comment.
Be the first to comment on this article!