Mikel declares: Joe Aribo can’t replace me
Call it anything you like, John Mikel Obi has refused to endorse Joe Aribo as his natural replacement in the Super Eagles despite the fact that the Rangers’ star wears his famous number 10 jersey.
The Chelsea legend announced his retirement from international football after the Eagles finished third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt in July this year.
In Mikel’s absence, Aribo has literarily stamped his authority in the Eagles’ central midfield role after scoring on his debut for Nigeria in the international friendly against Ukraine in Dnipro.
Instead of ‘anointing’ Aribo, Mikel felt that Alex Iwobi has demonstrated the capacity to fit into that role and therefore gets his backing.
“I like the man who took my number Aribo but many people don’t understand that Alex Iwobi is the player in my role,” Mikel said, as quoted by Brila.
”Iwobi started playing that role from the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and I have been impressed with how he has settled in properly. We all know he is a good player so it’s no surprise that he has done well so far”
Aribo has wowed fans already after only a handful of games for Nigeria and looks set to cement his place in Gernot Rohr’s side for a long time to come.