Posted by BEN ALOZIE, with agency reports on
John Obi Mikel has claimed he was pressurised into agreeing a deal with Manchester United and did not sign a contract of his own free will.
John Obi Mikel has claimed he was pressurised into agreeing a deal with Manchester United and did not sign a contract of his own free will.
United are keen to clear up the situation regarding the highly-rated 18-year-old Nigerian, whom they thought they had signed from Lyn Oslo two weeks ago.
However, the spectre of Chelsea is now looming large on the horizon and alarm bells started ringing when Mikel failed to attend training with his Norwegian club on Thursday and then turned up in London with agents Jerome Anderson and John Shittu.
And the teenager has spoken out about the pressure he felt he was put under to sign an agreement with the Old Trafford club.
"I signed a contract with Manchester United and I didn't do that of my own free will," he said.
"I was put into a lot of pressure to do that. I was denied advice from my agent and people I trust and I didn't get much time to think about that.
"I did something I did not want to do. Because of the pressure from Mr. Morgan (Andersen, Lyn's sporting director) and a representative of United it became too much. I was pushed and I had nobody on my side so I had to do it.
"I was denied a chance to have a week to think about it and get some independent advice from people so the pressure was too much."
Mikel was asked if he had been in contact with Chelsea but he stressed: "No, I haven't. I came into London and I have been in my hotel with my agent and haven't seen anyone or talked to anyone from Chelsea. I have no contact with Chelsea for now."
Manchester United chief executive David Gill has expressed his surprise that the player was considering going elsewhere.
"I am very disappointed. We have written to another club (about Mikel) but they have not responded to our letters.
"We have shown due deference to them, explaining the situation. We have sent copies to the Premier League and we will see the outcome."
Gill displayed the player's contract documents on United's TV station as proof Mikel will come to Old Trafford when he leaves Lyn.
"We did a deal with the club, quite properly, following the rules," he said. "We also did a deal with John Obi. He has turned 18 and turned professional. But in order to play in the Premier League he needs a work permit.
"That is the process we have gone through. We have the rights to the player."
The sudden shift in the Mikel's thinking is understood to be due to the pressure he has come under from Anderson and Shittu and Mikel's change of behaviour is a cause for concern at Lyn.
Sporting director Morgan Andersen said: "Why leave suddenly? Why not tell the club whom you are contracted to? The boys who live with John could see he was scared. He was crying.
"I feel really bad for John, he has to protect himself and his family in Nigeria. The agents tried to influence him to say he didn't want to play for Manchester United. He didn't want to do that but he said he was under great pressure from those people."
As the row intensifies with the Old Trafford club asking the Premier League to investigate the affair, assistant manager Carlos Queiroz has accused the Londoners of virtually kidnapping the player.
The United number two is furious that the Lyn midfielder is in London and, despite the teenager's denials, will eventually hold talks with the Barclays Premiership champions.
Mikel told Sky Sports News that he no longer wants to go to Old Trafford despite initially agreeing a move to the FA Cup finalists but Queiroz said: "It is unacceptable that a boy of 18 can almost be kidnapped from his home environment and taken to London and, within one day, be talking on television with an unhappy face."
United, who claim to have signed documents which prove the player is theirs, have asked the Premier League to launch an investigation into the matter.
Lyn director Morgan Andersen claims Mikel did not go to England by choice and that he is being pushed into a move to Chelsea.