Age, eligibility rules blocked my Man United move — Mikel
Former Super Eagles and Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has revealed that strict age and eligibility regulations prevented him from joining Manchester United, despite the Premier League giants’ strong interest when he was a teenager. In an interview with Sky Sports, Mikel said he was just 16 when he spent about a month training at Old Trafford, regularly working with the United first team under Sir Alex Ferguson. The legendary manager, he recalled, was keen to keep him at the club. However, Premier League work‑permit and eligibility rules for non‑European players blocked the move. At the time, foreign players from outside Europe were required to have played in at least 75 per cent of their national team’s recent senior matches to qualify. Mikel had not yet featured for Nigeria’s senior side, so he did not meet the criteria. He added […]
