Mikel Obi has not retired from international football, spokesman for the Super Eagles Toyin Ibitoye said Tuesday.
The Nigeria captain has not played for the national team since the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The Tianjin Teda midfielder was not named in Gernot Rohr’s 23-man squad to take on South Africa next month.
“Mikel has not retired from international football,” Ibitoye told Greetings FM Abuja. “He remains the captain of the national team.
“But the reality of it is that he is not getting any younger. And the positive (from this) is that other players now have a chance to step up in his absence.”
Victor Moses, 27, who played alongside Mikel at Chelsea, announced his retirement from international football after the World Cup.