Tianjin Teda of China midfielder, John Mikel Obi is facing battles on two fronts, as he aims to overcome an injury blight and be a part of the effort to save his team from relegation.
However, footballlive.ng gathered that Mikel did not participate in full training with his team on Tuesday but jogged on the sidelines, thereby raising speculation that he is not in good physical condition.
Mikel did not take part along with Teda’s foreign players Johnathan, Frank Acheampong and Felix Bastians, who all trained fully, which means the Super Eagles skipper is in doubt for their decisive midweek fixture in the Chinese Super League.
Tianjin Teda are facing relegation, as they are currently placed 15th on the 16-team table with 29 points with only two matches left to play.
Speculation is surging about the future of Mikel if Teda are demoted and a return to Europe cannot be ruled out in the January window.
However, injuries have bedeviled Mikel this season, but he managed to score twice in 18 games for his Tianjin-based outfit.
