Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi has become the fourth Blues player to be ruled out of this summer’s World Cup finals.

The Nigerian midfielder had missed the title run-in for his club as well as the FA Cup final in a bid to be fully fit for his country, but the Chelsea number 12 has lost his battle to be fit.

Mikel told the team he did not want to put his “career at risk,” as his knee injury has yet to fully heal after recently going under the knife.

He now joins Germany’s Michael Ballack and Ghana’s Michael Essien on the sidelines, whilst Didier Drogba may also miss out after breaking his elbow.

Mikel had enjoyed a consistent season with his club and played a massive role in their title and cup success before a knee injury sustained in Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Bolton in April.

However the Nigerian was in obvious pain despite knee surgery and had been on crutches until mid-May, and it was confirmed this morning he will take no part in what would have been his first World Cup finals appearance.