Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has assured Nigerians that he has not retired from the national team.
The Nigeria captain opened up on why he was dropped from the list of players invited for the November 17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
“I’m still not ready to come back yet. Still have some physical and fitness issues. I wish the team well and will always do.
“My commitment to the national team remains 100%; I still remain a part of the team and will always support the lads. The Nations Cup remains our ultimate goal for now and we are just one point away from reaching that target,” revealed the player who has made 89 appearances for the senior team,” he told aoifootball.com.
Despite expressing his comittment to the team, Mikel who last played for Nigeria at the FIFA World Cup in June was however silent on his return.
Fitness issues had been the reason why head coach Gernot Rohr dropped Mikel from the last three matches of the team, but with assurances that his captain would return for the South Africa game.
And when the list was announced on Monday by Rohr with the name of the ex-Chelsea player missing, many wondered if he had retired.
