I was pressured into United signing, says Mikel

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 yesterday 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 told Sky Sports News.

“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 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,” he told MUTV.

“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.

The sudden shift in the Mikel’s thinking is understood to be down the pressure he has come under from Anderson and Shittu and Mikel’s change of behaviour is a cause for concern at Lyn.