Mikel Obi has been massive for Middlesbrough says teammate Saville

Middlesbrough FC midfielder George Saville is “absolutely buzzing” to play with Mikel Obi in the midfield as he also said the English Championship club are benefiting from the Super Eagles captain both on and off the pitch, National Daily learnt.

Saville, who was Mikel’s teammate at Chelsea between 2011and 2014, said the former Tianjin Teda captain is a top quality player who has given him and other midfielder chance to express themselves better.

“I was with him at Chelsea and he was the same back then. I’m absolutely buzzing to have him here to be honest,” he said.

“You just know he’s there all the time. He does all this stuff that a footballer won’t usually get credit for but he’s been getting the plaudits, which is good.

“He does the hard stuff really easy. He’s been a big lift for us.

“He’s a really nice guy off the field as well. He’s a fantastic guy. He’s polite, which goes a long way for me. He’s really nice to have around the place.

“But yeah, he has given us the license to go and push and the confidence to push high up the pitch and cause havoc.”