Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson says Gareth Bale does something when he plays that he’s keen to add to his game.
The 32-year-old was recently released by Real Madrid after five Champions League winners medals in seven years at the club.
Now, he’s a free agent and at this stage, his next move is uncertain with a whole host of clubs vying for his signature.
Johnson enjoyed a decent 2021/22 himself. He helped Forest return to the Premier League, with 19 goals and 10 assists during the campaign.
That form had alerted other top-flight clubs but now promotion has been secured the Reds should be able to keep hold of him.
Speaking to the press after Wales beat Ukraine to reach the World Cup, Johnson had high praise for Bale.
He told BBC Wales: “The more he plays and the more I get to train with him, that helps me.
“He’s such a good player and I pick up little things training with him from every session.
“It’s unbelievable for the whole football world that he carries on playing.
“When I’m on th bench I’m watching little things he does in games. The way he gets past people is something I want to do in my game.”
Johnson raves about Bale and he couldn’t ask for better to learn from
In the Premier League era there haven’t been too many better than Bale when it comes to skipping past defenders.
Ryan Giggs would perhaps argue otherwise but aside from the former Manchester United man, there aren’t too many better than Bale.
The Wales icon is a classy player and given his desire to leave opponents in his wake, Johnson’s game is quite clearly very similar.
It can only bode well for the 21-year-old that he’s working alongside Bale every day when he goes away with the Wales team.
Where Bale ends up next will be intriguing to see.
He desperately needs to play and for Johnson, he will hope that he can be on the same pitch as him when Wales head to Qatar in the winter.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
