Mikel returns from injury

Super Eagles skipper John Mikel Obi has regained fitness and is ready to return to action three months after injury has kept him sidelined.

The Tianjin TEDA midfielder, who had just gone through a surgery to repair an abdominal strain, has made only three appearances since joining the Chinese Super League side in January, having one goal to his name.

The club have not won a match in their last five league games, and are placed 13th on the table with 14 points from 16 games – standing four points off the relegation zone

But Mikel told Chinese daily sports.enorth.com.cn on Wednesday how eager he is to return to the pitch with his teammates, expressing that his experience at Chelsea will help the team recover from their current situation.

“I’m back, back to Tianjin, my body and physical fitness has been restored, and now I feel better and better,” Mikel was quoted to have said.

“I hope to work side by side with my teammates as soon as possible.

“The team’s current situation is not good, but there are 14 rounds to play and there are a lot of points at stake.

“I spent several years at Chelsea and as an old player I have a lot of experience regarding this so I can help the team change the mentality and ideological aspects of the problem.

“We will start winning that’s no problem.”

Mikel’s last game with the team was in April when they won 2-0 over Chongqing Lifan in a League clash.

The 30-year-old captain will now lead his side to face Jiangsu Suning on Friday.