Stoke City of England new arrival, John Mikel Obi will go for a late fitness test to determine whether he would be able to play his first competitive match for The Potters this weekend, as his coach, Michael O’Neill reckons that the former Super Eagles’ captain is not yet into match mode, megasportsarena.com reports.
It means Mikel is not yet assured of a shirt with Stoke, as they prepare to battle Blackpool in the English League Cup on Saturday and they seek to win their first match of the new season, ahead of which O’Neill stressed that the fitness test will determine if the Nigerian star will be involved.
However, the former Plateau United of Jos, Lyn Oslo of Norway, Chelsea and Middlesbrough of England, Tianjin Teda of China and Trabzonspor of Turkey star, who joined The Potters in a free transfer on August 17, is eager to get game time, having scored his first goal for the English Championship outfit during a pre-season friendly against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday.
Saturday’s match at the bet365 Stadium would be another opportunity for Mikel to fully endear himself to Stoke’s faithful, having marked his first start for the team with a goal and 45 minutes of action before he was replaced at the break.
However, O’Neill revealed that Mikel is still working on reaching full fitness level, having not played any competitive game since March, when he left Trabzonspor under very controversial circumstances, but the coach from Northern Ireland said he is impressed with how the veteran midfielder is settling down to life in Stoke City.
Having won the League Cup during his days with Chelsea, Mikel would hope to help The Potters go far in this year’s edition of the competition; even as he also sets sight on equally making his mark on the start of the lower division’s regular season away to Millwall on September 12.
All that, though, would depend on how he shoots up his fitness level and maintains his physical depth in the coming hours, as O’Neill is staying cautious over his options, though he admitted that Mikel worked hard against The Shrews and justified his inclusion by scoring just before half-time to give The Potters a 2-1 lead.
Should Mikel go on to feature against Blackpool, it would be his 21st appearance in the League Cup since debuting in the competition with Chelsea back in December 2006, but he is yet to get the nod from O’Neill, despite the gaffer praising the star’s for his personal attitude, team affinity and work ethic in training since his arrival at Bet365 Stadium.
O’Neill told StokeonTrentLive: “We have to consider where the players are in terms of their fitness. If you look at John for example, he’s not played since March because he terminated his contract at Trabzonspor. John has settled in really well, trained really hard and we’ve just got to build up his fitness and his minutes.”
