‘I went to trials’ - Super Eagles legend Mikel reveals how Sir Alex used Roy Keane to groom him at Man United

While the football world remembers the controversial transfer tug-of-war, Obi Mikel has revealed that his bond with the legendary manager was built on a surprising level of personal protection and mentorship.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the former Super Eagles captain who recently spoke to Diego Costa reminisced about arriving at Carrington as a 16-year-old and being immediately thrust into the deep end with Manchester United’s first-team heavyweights.

In a reminder of how highly Ferguson rated the teenager, the manager didn't just let Mikel fend for himself. He intentionally paired the young Nigerian with the club’s most fearsome enforcer, Roy Keane, to ensure the Class of '92 didn't give him too rough a welcome.

“Fergie loved me," he told Sky Sports. "I remember when I used to train with United, he used to always pair me with Roy Keane. He thought Roy Keane would protect me from the likes of Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, who were always tackling people in training.”

Mikel noted that the environment was elite, and the affection from the boss was evident from day one: “My relationship with Fergie was really, really good.”

Despite the mutual admiration, the move was hampered by complex eligibility rules. At 16, Mikel had not yet broken into the Nigerian senior national team, making a permanent Premier League signing legally impossible at the time.

“Because I wasn't 18, I wasn't allowed to play for the first team. I wasn't allowed to sign for the first team, which is because of the rules, you need to have 75% or something like that to be able to sign as a young boy coming from Africa. I didn't have that, I've never played for a national team, so I went to trials at United.”

With a work permit out of reach, Ferguson and United were forced to play the long game, hoping to secure his future once he hit the age of majority.

“I couldn't sign, so they had to send me back. So the strategy was to get him in, get him out, get him until he becomes 18.”

While the world knows that Mikel eventually swapped the red of Manchester for the blue of London, these revelations show just how close he came to becoming the centerpiece of Ferguson's post-Keane midfield.