Former Super Eagles’ coach, Johannes Bonfrere has faulted the recall of John Mikel Obi to the Nigerian squad ahead of preparations for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Gernot Rohr, who is the current coach of the Eagles convinced the ex-Chelsea midfielder to make a return after the duo held a meeting in London last week.
The 31-year-old last played for Nigeria against Argentina at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Speaking in an interview from his base in Holland, Bonfrere said though he is not the coach but asserted that it’s wrong for a player who decided not to play for the national team for one year to be included in the squad going to the Nations Cup.
“I really don’t understand the reason he was invited but as a coach, I won’t invite a player who is not injured and chose not to be part of the qualifiers,” the former coach of the South Korean national team said.
The 72-year-old disclosed that there is something structurally wrong with the Eagles side if the coach felt that he still needed Mikel in the team even after staying away for one year.
“The coach should be in a better position to know the current situation in the team but I think there is something structurally wrong in the Nigerian team” he added.
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Mikel failed to appear in any of Super Eagles’ six 2019 AFCON qualifying games prompting speculations he might have decided to call time on his international career.