Andy Johnson; a promise unfulfilled (Video)

When Manchester City let winger Adam Johnson leave for Sunderland last summer, one felt an opportunity had been missed, and potential wasted. Johnson didn’t get much game time under Roberto Mancini, but on the occasions he was brought on he almost always had a positive influence on proceedings. He terrorised full-backs and sent dangerous balls into the box, and severally nut-megged a defender or two before cutting in to send a scorcher past a stranded keeper. On the face of it, when City let him go for £10 million, it appeared that Johnson’s thirst for first team action was the only motivating factor. But the former City number 11 revealed that his almost non-existent relationship with the Italian gaffer played a role in his departure. All in all, one felt that given the chance, Johnson could become the new Ryan Giggs.

With a virtually guaranteed starting berth at the Stadium of Light, it was widely expected that the 25-year-old Englishman would come into his own, adding to the creativity provided by Stephane Sessegnon. But it has been a dismal season for the Black Cats who avoided relegation by a whisker and sacked manager Martin O’Neil in an attempt to arrest the slide. Adam Johnson, who was once thought to be the solution to England’s perennial problems on the left side of attack, managed only to complete a shocking 11.5% of his crosses, despite playing 35 league games. “It’s been the worst season of my career as a whole, I think,” admitted Johnson in a recent interview. One can only hope that the fiery Paolo Di Canio will help reignite the flagging winger.   

http://youtu.be/5CQTP63vyrE