Mikel has knee surgery

Chelsea and Nigeria’s John Obi Mikel has undergone minor knee surgery with just over a month to go until the start of the World Cup.

The operation means the 23-year-old holding midfielder, who has been sidelined for the last three weeks with the injury, will miss Chelsea’s match with Wigan on Sunday, where victory will secure the Premier League title, and the FA Cup final against Portsmouth on May 15.

Mikel is a first-choice player for Nigeria, who kick off their World Cup campaign against two-time winners Argentina on June 12. Their group also contains 2002 semi-finalists South Korea and Euro 2004 champions Greece.