John Obi Mikel has suggested that he will look to leave Chelsea in the January transfer window if he continues to be overlooked by Blues boss Antonio Conte.
Mikel, 29, has not played a single minute of first-team football since Conte arrived in the summer, and it is understood that the pair have a frosty relationship after the midfielder decided to represent Nigeria at the 2016 Olympics.
The experienced Nigerian has vowed to continue working hard in a bid to convince Conte of his worth, but has hinted that he will seek pastures new at the start of 2017 if the current situation does not change.
"I have never been a guy to make excuses, I never shy away from my responsibilities. Yes, people will say 'he went to the Olympics' and 'he didn't have a pre-season with the team' and a new manager came in and was probably upset I went to the Olympics and thinks I don't care about the team," Mikel told BBC Sport.
"I don't want to make excuses. In the end of the day, I have to keep training hard and trying to change the manager's mind. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. I will keep doing my best and ready for when called up upon. We will see what happens in January."
Mikel joined Chelsea from Norwegian team Lyn in 2006 - rejecting Manchester United in the process - and is currently the club's second longest-serving player behind John Terry.
Matt Law
