John Obi Mikel reveals De Bruyne’s struggles with Mourinho, Eto’o at Chelsea

Former Chelsea midfielder, John Obi Mikel has shed some light on the struggles faced by Kevin De Bruyne during his time at Stamford Bridge.

De Bruyne who is a key member of Manchester City is reported to have faced difficulties integrating into the Chelsea squad from 2012 to 2014.

Obi Mikel made the revelation on the Obi One Podcast as he delved into the obstacles encountered by De Bruyne.

Mikel suggested that De Bruyne’s demeanor during training hindered his seamless assimilation.

“I think De Bruyne wasn’t the best trainer back then. He was somebody that comes to training and probably because he wasn’t playing that much, always having his head down, always angry and sulking,” Obi Mikel stated, likening De Bruyne’s behavior to that of an excluded child on the playground.

Furthermore, Mikel recounted an intense altercation between De Bruyne and former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o during a training session.

“I remember when Samuel Eto’o had a go at him and they had a massive fight on the training ground just because he [De Bruyne] wasn’t putting in the effort that Eto’o wanted so they had a massive row on the pitch.”

Mikel also attributed some of the struggles to the management style of then-manager Jose Mourinho.

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