Former Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi has showered encomiums on Super Eagles caretaker coach Austin Eguavoen following Nigeria’s performance in the AFCON qualifiers.

Eguavoen, who is the Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), was tasked with leading the team in the qualifier matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda after the NFF’s botched agreement with German tactician Bruno Labbadia.

The former international is now in charge of the team for the fourth time, as the NFF continues their pursuit of Finidi George’s replacement following his resignation in June.

Speaking on his podcast show, Mikel Obi, who played under Eguavoen at the U-17 level, described the former defender as a fantastic manager, drawing comparisons with Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.

“I know the interim manager now, Augustine Eguavoen, who managed me when I was a kid. U-17, he was my coach, took us to the World Cup,” he said on the Obi One Podcast.

“Fantastic guy, lovely guy, a manager who gives you all the freedom in the world to express yourself, speaks to you really well.

“He reminds me so much of Carlo Ancelotti, no jokes about that. His man management is top. He speaks to players really well. He is so humble. He communicates with players really well, puts his arm around you.

“He gets his players on his side, that’s so important. You could see coming in on short notice and getting the team to play so well. You can’t teach them so much in such a short space of time.”