sport news EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson on David Beckham ... trends now
Brennan Johnson is posing for pictures on a blustery day at Nottingham Forest’s training ground when the club’s Under-18 coach, Warren Joyce, appears around a corner.
Spying Johnson’s choice of footwear, a pair of orangey-brown loafers, Joyce cannot resist a wisecrack. ‘Make sure you don’t get those shoes in the shot!’ he says to Sportsmail’s photographer. ‘Were they a Christmas present?’
As other members of Forest’s coaching department walk past, Johnson is a sitting duck. ‘So that’s why you got the fresh trim,’ pipes up another. ‘He looks a million dollars.’
Nowadays he is worth much more than that.
Johnson takes it all in his stride. Two years ago, the 21-year-old was on loan at Lincoln City in League One and focused on forcing his way into the first team at Forest.
Brennan Johnson is relishing playing a prominent part for Nottingham Forest in the top fight
Johnson will need to play a decisive role if Forest are to maintain their Premier League status
Now he sits down for his first major newspaper interview as one of the Premier League’s brightest newcomers, a player of searing speed who oozes star quality and will need to play a decisive role if Forest are to stay up. He has also just returned from his first World Cup and, with Gareth Bale retiring, Johnson is perfectly placed to become the new hero of Welsh football, too.
At least Johnson is well prepared. His father, David, was an accomplished forward who scored 50 goals in 165 appearances for Forest from 2001-06. He also had spells with Bury and Ipswich.
But his footballing education came at Manchester United, where he became friends with David Beckham — and the former England captain is now taking a close interest in Johnson Jnr’s career.
‘I first met him when I was about 15 or 16 and meeting people like that is crazy,’ Johnson tells Sportsmail. ‘You think they’re going to be from a different world but they’re not. He’s a really nice guy, really humble.
Johnson's father David featured for Nottingham Forest between 2001 and 2006
David Beckham played with Johnson's father and now texts the 21-year-old before games
‘He will text me saying congratulations and if he texts me before a game he always tells me, “Just enjoy the occasion”, especially before the Championship play-off final last season. I’ve not had a kick-about with him yet, though!
‘My dad was close to him when they played for United but then life takes over and they didn’t see each other for a while. They got back in touch through a mutual friend and he likes to watch how I’m doing.
‘He hasn’t forgotten where he came from. He’s been all over the place but he still has the same close friends from back when he was playing at United. That shows what he’s about.’
Growing up, Johnson's hero at Nottingham Forest was Welsh forward Robert Earnshaw
Yet it was not Beckham who Johnson wanted to emulate as he grew to love the game as a Forest-mad youngster; his hero was Robert Earnshaw, who scored 45 goals in 113 matches for the club.
Earnshaw also played for Wales, who Johnson chose to represent even though he was born in Nottingham and played for England at Under-16 and Under-17 level. ‘My family on my mum’s side are Welsh and at that age it was about enjoyment,’ explains Johnson. ‘I enjoyed playing for Wales a lot more. It felt more like a family. Everyone was really nice and made me feel comfortable.
‘Being from a club like Forest, you go to England and see the players from top teams and it is a bit more intimidating. It’s not like the people there create that atmosphere deliberately, but being from a smaller academy and rarely playing against those players made a difference.
