Mikel John Obi believes his former Chelsea teammate, Michael Essien, who he describes as “a powerful machine,” never gets the credit he deserves.

The former Nigeria international and Essien played together at Chelsea for years, winning several titles, including the 2009/10 Premier League and the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League.

The duo has been described as some of the best Africans to grace the English Premier League by many.

Mikel has now taken the time to appreciate what Essien has done for the game, especially the effort he puts in during training.

“He [Michael Essien] never gets the credit he deserves,” Mikel said in an interview with Dubai Eye. “He is the guy we call the train on the training grounds.

“He is a powerful machine, this guy. I mean the way he trains as well. Every day he is there working, working, working, and what a human being.

“Apart from playing football, what a gentleman he is. Like we say, he is the train, he is the bison.”

Michael Essien has made over 400 professional career appearances, playing for clubs such as Lyon, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and AC Milan.

He gained his UEFA License A and UEFA Youth Elite A license last week and is now an assistant coach at the Danish side, FC Nordsjaelland.