John Obi Mikel shrugs off questions about future with Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough's John Obi Mikel

Wednesday Apr 17, 2019. 10:00

Nigeria national team captain John Obi Mikel has shrugged off questions over his future with English club Middlesbrough, insisting he is focused only on the finishing the current season strongly.

Mikel joined the EFL Championship (second tier) side in January 2019, having terminated his contract with Chinese Super League club Tianjin Teda. The 31-year-old’s deal with Boro runs only to the end of the 2018/19 season, after which he will be a free agent.

Mikel, who is likely to captain the Super Eagles at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals in June and July, says he has not yet concerned himself with where he will be playing next season.

“No, no, to be honest, next four games is what I am looking forward to,” Mikel told the BBC. “I don't know what's happening, I just have to do my job.

“I'm a Boro player and I'm concentrating on the next four games. Then we'll see what happens.''

Mikel has captained Middlesbrough in their last two league games, helping the club record two wins and two clean sheets against Bolton Wanderers and Hull City.

Boro’s remaining games in the 2018/19 Championship season are against Stoke City (home), Nottingham Forest (away), Reading (home) and Rotherham United (away). They stand a decent chance of finishing inside the top six, which would see them enter the promotion playoffs for a place in the Premier League in 2019/20.