Chelsea midfielder, John Obi Mikel has threatened to leave the club in the summer if he is not assured of a starting shirt next season.
The 28-year-old Nigerian, who has one year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge, said he would rather walk than sit on the bench like the previous years before the arrival of Guus Hiddink in December 2015.
Mikel, who was signed from Lyn Oslo in 2006 after impressing at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup, has struggled to tie down a starting shirt despite being one of the longest serving members of the Chelsea squad, falling behind Cesc Fabregas, Nemanja Matic and Ramires in the pecking order.
He said: “I have one more season with Chelsea but I know when this season ends, we will definitely sit down and try to sort out whatever needs to be sorted out.
“If it means me leaving, fine. If it means me staying, then I have to play because one thing I don’t want to do is to sit on the bench like I did before.”
The Blues are expected to spend big in the summer when Antonio Conte takes over the managerial reins and Mikel is perhaps trying to cement his place.
Mikel has made only 18 appearances in the league this season, most of whom have been under Hiddink.
Before Mourinho was sacked in December, he had only used Mikel on five occasions.
Mikel added: “I think confidence is everything, if a manager doesn’t believe in you, trust me there’s no way you can succeed. Even if you do things right he would always make sure he finds fault.
“He didn’t have the belief that he had in me before, which is fine because every manager has the player that they have trust in.”
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