EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Forest star Johnson on emulating his dad

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: ‘David Beckham texts me before games, it’s crazy’: Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson on his A-List mate, emulating his dad and why he’s proud to play for his hometown team

• Brennan Johnson is enjoying playing a key part for Nottingham Forest 
• Johnson is following in the footsteps of his father, who also played for the club  
• The 21-year-old receives text from legend David Beckham before games 

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.

‘After I had played for Wales Under 21s there was chat about me going back to England, but nothing major. I was always happy to play for Wales.

‘I was only 18 at the time so it never reached the stage of Gareth Southgate contacting me. I feel proud to play for Wales and it makes my family proud — that is the most important thing. Gareth Bale is a great role model. When I would come on as substitute he’d always tell me to be positive and back myself. His preparation was always so professional.

‘It’s a massive shame that he has retired and what he has done will never be forgotten, but I guess it’s a new time now.’

Those days of feeling inferior to his peers are long gone. Johnson played every game in the Championship last season, racking up 18 goals and nine assists as Forest returned to the top flight for the first time this century.

With so many new players to integrate in the summer, the Premier League has been a tougher ask but Johnson is finding his stride. He has four goals and two assists, and has the durability required for the elite level, developed during his stint at Lincoln.

Pitched into a dressing room of senior pros, Johnson was kicked, pinched, elbowed and stamped on by opponents who sensed a weakness. Sharp practice is just the same in the Premier League but now Johnson is ready.

‘I remember my first game for Lincoln, against Charlton,’ Johnson says with a smile. ‘I came on in the second half and it took me aback how physical the players were. I was being targeted — late tackles, stuff off the ball, but I’ve learned from that. It’s happened this season, too. It has definitely shaped me.

‘At Lincoln I never lost my cool but your decision-making can go out of the window. Now if players try to get in my head, I enjoy the challenge.

‘When we played Chelsea and I faced Thiago Silva, I learned a lot. His positioning is unbelievable so being quick is not enough. There was a moment when he stepped up and played me offside when I tried to make a run.

‘As soon as he did that I knew I had to alter my timing, so the next time Morgan Gibbs-White put me through, I stayed onside. I was always thinking about his positioning and how to react. Just in the space of that game I had learned a new thing.’

Johnson is lucky to have the ideal tutor. Though his father David stays largely in the background, his influence cannot be overstated. He is in the stands for the majority of Brennan’s matches and discusses his son’s performances with him.

Brennan is too young to have clear memories of David’s career, yet thanks to YouTube, he has seen the highlights. ‘You hear about kids with pushy parents, especially in football as they might see it as a bit of money for them, but my dad was never like that,’ stresses Johnson. ‘He would give me bits of advice but always trusted Forest.

The youngster gained a lot of valuable experience during a loan spell at Lincoln City

‘He would never say anything during games. You have to find out for yourself. When I was in the first team at Lincoln, I’d start to show him clips on YouTube. I always watched his clips when I was younger and now he can watch mine — that’s pretty cool.’

The story of Forest’s season has been shaped by the number of players they have signed, which could become 29 if they conclude a free transfer for former West Ham forward Andre Ayew.

Following Gareth Bale’s retirement, there will now be more focus on Johnson for Wales

Yet Johnson is part of a core of homegrown players who keep Forest connected to their past. With Forest’s squad now containing 13 nationalities, the local lads ensure the new players understand who they represent. ‘I’ve played here since I was eight and went to school around the corner,’ says Johnson. ‘Everyone wanted to play for Forest.

‘So to be a local player means everything and having local players in the squad is important, when there are players coming in from all over the world.

‘Before we played Manchester United in the League Cup, we were showing them we had won that competition four times, and the European Cup twice.

‘It lets them know how big the club is and how long the fans have waited to see us in big games. We’re the first team in a while to do it and we let them know how exciting it is for everyone. It’s so important for Forest to be back.’

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