Former Green Eagles Captain and legend Segun Odegbami, has advised coach Gernot Rohr to perish the thought of recalling John Mikel Obi to the team if the Super Eagles must excel at AFCON 2019.
Sports247 understands that Mikel has not played for the Eagles since Nigeria’s last group stage game against Argentina at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The Middlesbrough midfielder played no part in the team’s qualification for the continental football showpiece. Super Eagles missed the last two editions in 2015 and 2017.
Speaking on the possibility of Mikel returning to the team, Odegbami insisted that the midfielder has done his bits with Eagles and should be allowed to move on.
Odegbami fondly called the ‘Mathematical’ in his active football, said Mikel is no longer the player he was.
“Recall Mikel? History is against such a decision. Mikel is not the player he once was. We have seen his best and it cannot be recreated or better. What did it fetch?”
Odegbami said the last time Nigeria recalled a captain to the senior national team turned out to be a disaster.
“The last time we brought back a captain it ended in a disaster that halted the country from going to its first World Cup in 1981.
