Former Chelsea and Super Eagles midfielder John Obi Mikel has disclosed that strict eligibility regulations stopped Manchester United from signing him despite the club’s strong interest during his teenage years.
Mikel revealed that he was only 16 when he spent about a month training at Old Trafford, where he regularly worked with the Manchester United first team.
According to him, then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson was keen on keeping him at the club but was ultimately constrained by Premier League rules governing young African players.
Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports, Mikel explained that the regulations at the time required non-European players to have featured in at least 75 per cent of their country’s senior national team matches to qualify for a transfer.
Having not yet played for Nigeria’s senior team, he failed to meet the criteria.
He also noted that his age further complicated the situation, as he was not eligible to feature competitively for United’s first team. “The idea was to bring me in quietly and move things along before I turned 18.”
“At the time, the rule required players to have represented their national team in at least 75% of matches before being eligible to sign”, the former Super Eagles captain added.
Mikel recalled that Ferguson showed clear confidence in his abilities, often placing him alongside experienced midfielder Roy Keane during training sessions.
“Fergie loved me. He would always pair me with Roy Keane because he thought Keane would protect me from the likes of Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, who were always tackling people in training.”
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