Brennan Johnson: Forest's young ace earning comparisons with De Bruyne & Hazard
Daniel Edwards
- 22 Oct 2022 19:30 BST
- 3 min read
If one required any proof that a footballer's life can be transformed in the blink of an eye, they need only look at Brennan Johnson.
Last year the young forward was gearing up for his first taste of Championship football with Nottingham Forest after leaving a solid impression on Lincoln City and League One while on loan the previous season.
Now, Johnson is rubbing shoulders with some of the best players in the world and holding his own, not to mention preparing for a World Cup campaign as part of the Wales set-up.
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Along the way the 21-year-old is winning a lot of admirers, even earning comparisons with luminaries such as Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard following a recent meeting between Wales and Belgium.
"He's been superb," national team boss Page told WalesOnline after September's defeat.
"Honestly, he's come on so much in such a short time. I've asked something different from him tonight, I asked him to play as a midfielder, but when we get the ball we can find him in those pockets where Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard pick the ball up.
"When you see him run with the ball, it's brilliant isn't it. That's his game, that's his strength. He always looked a threat for us every time he got on the ball."
Football runs in Johnson's blood. His father, David, was on the books at Manchester United at the same time as David Beckham, Paul Scholes and the rest of that golden generation of talent and went on to carve out a decent career at Ipswich Town and Forest before being forced to retire early through injury.
While it is still early, Johnson Jr. looks set to go even further in the game. He smashed 16 goals for Forest during their promotion bid last term and also caught the eye with his stunning technique on the ball, leaving defenders for dead with impressive regularity.
Getting to grips with top flight
The Premier League is naturally a big step up but he has held his own there too so far with two early goals this season. The new term has been difficult for both Forest and their star: the former is struggling to blend 20 new signings into the team, while the latter has attracted criticism from fans over certain lacklustre performances, though his team-mates have leaped to his defence.
He’s a very young guy and a very good player. In the dressing room he had his head down and I got his head up. I said that this will make him strong," Emmanuel Dennis signalled to BBC Radio Nottingham after Johnson missed from the spot during defeat to Wolves recently.
“He’s a very good player, he’s very young and he will learn from the miss.”
All young players experience ups and down at the start of their career, but to Johnson's credit he seemed determined to learn from his mistakes and keep developing in a difficult context at Forest.
He will be one to watch throughout the season and at the World Cup, where a strong campaign rubbing shoulders with the planet's elite name could well see him linked with a big move in the second half of the campaign.
