'Mikel Has Trained Really Hard' - Stoke City Boss On Chances Of Chelsea Legend Making Debut

Stoke City coach Michael O'Neill held a press conference on Thursday, August 27 and was asked if the new signings who have had a runout already in the 5-1 rout of Shrewsbury Town stand a chance of making their competitive debuts in Saturday's League Cup clash against Blackpool.

Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel was one of the players handed minutes against Town and he justified his inclusion, scoring a vital goal just before half-time to give the Potters a 2-1 lead.

O'Neill noted that the former Nigeria international has been inactive for more than five months after terminating his contract with Trabzonspor and the midfielder's fitness is not up to scratch.

"We have to consider where the players are in terms of their fitness. If you look at John (Obi Mikel) for example, he’s not played since March because he terminated his contract at Trabzonspor," O'Neill was quoted as saying by StokeonTrentLive.

"Steven (Fletcher) and Morgan (Fox) were still under contract at Sheffield Wednesday at that point in time. That means they are probably all in different places physically."

O'Neill went on to praise Mikel for his work ethic in training since his arrival at the Bet365 Stadium.

"John has settled in really well, trained really hard and we’ve just got to build up his fitness and his minutes," he added.

Should Mikel feature against Blackpool, it will be his 21st appearance in the League Cup since debuting in the competition in December 2006.

Igho Kingsley