The teenagers have impressed their new skipper with their displays in the Premier League this season, while the Chelsea midfielder also spoke about former team-mate Mohamed Salah
John Obi Mikel has hailed Nigeria’s batch of future stars and believes Arsenal youngster Alex Iwobi and Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho can be mainstays for years to come.
The pair have enjoyed breakthrough seasons in the Premier League this term, with Iwobi scoring on his first league start against Everton at the weekend and Iheanacho notching in three of his 17 top-flight outings.
And Mikel, who is the new captain of the Super Eagles, has been hugely impressed by the teenagers and believes the addition of such young and hungry players to the squad has brought a new dynamic to the setup.
How England missed out on Iwobi
Nigeria take on Egypt in qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations on Friday, and the fixture sees Mikel come up against short-lived Chelsea team-mate Mohamed Salah.
“No, I haven’t [kept in touch] but I’ll see him tomorrow,” Mikel continued. “He’s a nice guy, it’s just unfortunate that things didn’t work out for him at Chelsea but you can see he’s doing well in Rome.
“He’s playing well and scoring goals. He’s a down to earth guy, someone I have great respect for. It would be nice to see him and play against him in the national team.”
- Goal