It’d be amazing to gain promotion with Boro -Mikel Obi

Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi is looking forward to making it back to the English Premier League with his Championship side, Middlesbrough.

The former Chelsea FC star, who was recently dubbed ‘A Rolls-Royce of a midfielder by Boro, says it would be one of his greatest achievements if Boro gains the promotion.

“If we manage to pull it (promotion) off, it would be amazing,” Mikel told BBC Sport. “It would be up there as one of my greatest achievements.”

After a lucrative stint at Chinese Super League side, Tianjin TEDA, Mikel, who captained Nigeria at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, moved to the Riverside Stadium as a free agent.

And since his arrival, Boro have lost just once in the league, standing fifth in the Championship with 12 games remaining.

“I’m still hungry and want to win trophies. I’m never satisfied with what I have achieved. If I was, I would just sit at home,” he added.

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“I want to achieve something with this club and that is to get this club promoted,” said Mikel, who signed to stay till the end of the s

“I love challenges and I knew coming in here would be a challenge for me, and being in the second division would be a challenge for me.

“Middlesbrough are a massive club and should be in the Premier League – it is where it belongs for me,” he said.

“We still have a lot games to play, and if we manage to win quite a few of them, who knows?

“If we could get automatic promotion, fine, and if we get into the play-offs and that is how we do it, then that would be amazing as well.

“We just have to keep pushing.”

He added: “I want to enjoy my football and enjoy winning games with this club, these players are an amazing group of guys,” he said.

“Every time we win a game you see that feeling of wanting to be in the Premier League and that is something I want to keep enjoying with them until the end of the season. And then we see where we are.”

Meanwhile, with a game in hand on all four sides above them, Boro are nine points adrift of the top two and an automatic promotion spot.

After 34 games they have the best defensive record in the division, however, they have laboured at the other end and scored the fewest goals of any side in the top 15.

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