Former Chelsea midfielder, Michael Essien, says Nicolas Jacklas hit back at criticisms from Mikel Obi because he was 'hurt' it came from an ex-player of the club.

Last month, Mikel openly criticised the Chelsea forward following his performance in the 2-0 loss to Manchester City, claiming the Senegal international is not of the quality needed at the club.

Jackson responded to the criticism with a strong display as Chelsea defeated Wolves a week later with the forward playing a starring role. He took the opportunity to hit back at Mikel on social media.

The 23-year-old tagged Mikel in an Instagram story and wrote: "Shut your mouth, don't talk sh*t, we are killing ourself for Africa."

His post led to divided opinions and while Mikel came out to say he didn't mean to disrespect Jackson, Essien believes the latter was hurt by the former's comments.

"We all have our personalities. Some will say it, but for me, I will just ignore it," the 41-year-old told Joy Sports in an exclusive interview.

"Everyone has an opinion, but I think it’s not personal. However, when the criticism comes from ex-players, it hurts the players even more, and then they react."

Jackson has netted two goals and registered one assist in four games across all competitions for Chelsea since Mikel's criticism.