Middlesbrough FC: Mikel has been a big lift for us - Saville

John Obi Mikel at Middlesbrough - Twitter/Middlesbrough

George Saville, Middlesbrough FC midfielder has said the Championship club are benefitting from the Nigerian midfielder both on and off the pitch.

Saville was Mikel's teammate at Chelsea between 2011 amd 2014.

He described Mikel as 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.

“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."

Mikel was named in Championship Team of the Week following his scintillating display for the Teasiders in the 1-0 win against Blackburn Rovers last Sunday.