Mikel’s relevance not dwarfed by China move - Rohr

Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has declared that the relevance and influence of John Obi Mikel cannot be dwarfed by his recent China move, adding that he has paid his dues to merit his position.

Moving to China where he is guaranteed playing time according to him is better than remaining on the bench at the Stamford Bridge.

Rohr who is hoping to play dual role at this year’s AFCON which kicks off today in Gabon, as tournament analyst and monitoring Super Eagles opponents in the World Cup qualifiers especially Algeria and Cameroon, added that the former Chelsea

ace prior to moving to China has played a lot of important matches both at the qualifiers, Olympics and Champions league all of which come with a lot of experience.

“Mikel’s move to China does not change anything. His relevance to the national team is not in any way reduced besides it is far better to be in China where he can play than be on the bench in Chelsea,” he submitted

Rohr who handled AFCON hosts Gabon between 2010 and 2012, expressed optimism that Nigeria will be part of the next edition to be hosted by Cameroon, basing his optimism in the readiness of the players to give their all in the course of the qualifiers.

Although most soccer fans in the country are disappointed that Nigeria failed to qualify for Gabon 2017, many however believe that the new fighting spirit and blend in the Eagles camp can change the fortune of the team en-route Russia 2018 and Cameroon 2019 respectively