Wales boss Rob Page has lauded Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson ahead of important European Championship qualifiers. The Reds star will hope to play as Wales take on Armenia and Turkey in games they will fancy winning.
The boss has been speaking to the press ahead of this week’s games. He believes that Johnson is a quality player and he’s suggested that he’s looking forward to working with the player in the future.
The 22-year-old has just enjoyed a decent maiden campaign in the Premier League with Forest. He scored 10 goals in all competitions and he’s now viewed as a bit of a mainstay with Wales.
At the World Cup, Forest ace Johnson found himself behind Gareth Bale in the pecking order. He came on as a substitute in all three of his country’s games but now he’s set to play a more integral role under Page.
The head coach was critical of Forest back in March. Forest chose to withdraw their player from international duty, with the player nursing a bit of an injury and Page claimed he’s liked to have seen him report regardless.
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That is now water under the bridge. Page is excited to have Johnson back in his ranks and he’s looking forward to seeing what he can do in the forthcoming fixtures.
He told the press in the build-up: “It’s probably not the worst thing for us that he’s found himself out of the Forest team for the last few games.
“Because he’s scored so many goals, and because he’s a constant threat – of the best counter-attacking footballers in the Premier League – he set a precedent.”
Page has lauded Forest star Johnson and now he must start playing him
It was quite rich of Page to bemoan Forest’s decision to pull Johnson out of international duty in March. After all, it was the Wales boss who took the 22-year-old to the World Cup and didn’t start him once.
That’s water under the bridge now though and Johnson will hope to earn himself a regular place. A clash against Armenia should be confidence-boosting for Wales, with a comfortable win expected.
Forest star Johnson has enjoyed a fine season. He clocked the second-fastest speed of the whole campaign finishing just behind Manchester City’s treble-winner Kyle Walker.
Hopefully, the Forest man can perform for Wales over the next week or so. After that, the Reds supporters will hope he can get his feet up and enjoy a bit of downtime before the new season.