Wales boss Rob Page has been left furious with Nottingham Forest over Brennan Johnson but he’s got some nerve. The Reds have let Wales know that the 21-year-old isn’t fit to join up with Page’s squad much to his dismay.
Johnson suffered a minor groin injury against Tottenham. He was substituted in that game but he made a return to action just a week later against Newcastle in the Premier League.
The fact that Steve Cooper played Johnson in that game has angered Page. With Gareth Bale now retired, many have tipped the Forest man as the player to try and replace him on the international stage.
Johnson has really kicked on since the World Cup. He’s scored nine goals in all competitions during the campaign and it’s easy to see why Page is doing so much talking about the Forest star.
He told Wales Online: “Where I should have been a little bit stronger is with getting him through the door on the Sunday to assess him. It’s been frustrating but I’ve got to pick a team now.
“I feel for Brennan. He wants to play international football like everybody else. As we know, playing for your country is something very special, it shouldn’t be taken for granted by anyone.
“Ultimately, it’s about the player’s welfare. In playing 90 minutes on Friday, it has obviously put him out of contention for us. He’s a special player but now he’s unavailable and we can’t dwell on it.”
Page left furious with Forest over Johnson
All of a sudden, Johnson is integral to Page’s fortunes. It’s strange, however, that the Wales boss didn’t deem him special enough to start him in any of his team’s games at the World Cup.
As a result, these comments seem a bit rich. Forest are embroiled in a relegation battle and naturally they will try and do what’s best for Johnson and the club at this time.
Wales only play Latvia in midweek. With that in mind, Forest’s need is more urgent and they will want Johnson to be fit for Saturday’s make or break clash against Wolves.
Page is going to have to take this one on the chin. He can’t plead about Johnson’s importance now after making him a peripheral part of the World Cup squad last year.