Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson has launched a scathing attack on club hero John Mikel Obi after calling him out in an expletive-filled social media rant.
The Senegalese striker scored the opener after just 93 seconds and also got himself an assist, as the Blues ran riot with a 6-2 victory over Wolves to clinch Enzo Maresca's first win in charge.
But the 23-year-old was clearly upset with comments made about the squad by former Chelsea player Mikel, who won three Premier League titles and the Champions League with the club in his 11-year career at Stamford Bridge.
Jackson posted a message for Mikel on his Instagram story, tagging the Nigerian directly in the post after apparently hearing what he had said about him.
"@john_mikel_obi shut your mouth don't talk s***, we are killing ourselves for Africa," Jackson wrote.
The controversial post came just hours after his team-mate Noni Madueke was forced to apologise for calling Wolverhampton "s***", and the pair's activity on social media could raise some concerns within the club about their behaviour.
Working as an analyst for beIN Sports, Mikel aimed criticism at Jackson for his perceived wasteful performance in front of goal in Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on the opening weekend of the season.
Jackson had missed from point-blank range after being denied by Ederson and scuffed his shot following a mazy solo run in the first half of the game.
Mikel, 37, did not hold back in his review of Jackson's performance and suggested the club may need to dip into the transfer market once more to find a better striker.
His countryman Victor Osimhen, who currently plays for Napoli, has been linked with the big-spending west London outfit and a late transfer cannot be ruled out.
"You need to have a striker who knows how to hit a ball in the back of the net and that's what we don't have," Mikel told beIN Sports.
"I know I talk so much about him [Jackson] and sometimes I sound like I disrespect him, but I don't disrespect him."
But Jackson's dim view of Mikel is unlikely to ruffle any feathers as he responded to criticism from Mikel. While he is a respected former player adored by the fans, his comments on his self-titled podcast have caused some controversy in recent months.