Sitting on the top floor of the PFA Headquarters surrounded by signed photographs of the latest crop of England youngsters to gain recognition at senior level, from Aston Villa’s much improved winger James Milner, to Everton’s fledgling left back Leighton Baines, I await the arrival of the possible solution to a problem that has haunted every England manager since Sir Bobby Robson.
England have not had a player of true international class on the left wing since Chris Waddle, struggling to replace the enigmatic floppy-haired dribbler with an Albion born gifted attacking left-footer, and in the process sampling the likes of Steve Guppy, and Trevor Sinclair. But as his roaring BMW X6 turns into the car park, I peer out to see a shy and cautious Adam Johnson, dressed head to toe in an unassuming black Nike tracksuit, adopting a timid and reticent demeanour that doesn’t fit the playboy lifestyle his car might denote.
I immediately fear that the traditionally retiring Johnson, who has hidden from the spotlight in the past may have adopted the glitterati lifestyle that comes with an £8 million transfer to the world’s richest club.
Fear not Three Lion’s followers, Johnson has not bought into the flamboyant lifestyle as of yet, greeting the PFA representatives, and myself with a firm handshake and a polite, ‘pleasure to meet you.’ He is promptly mobbed and asked to sign a bottomless pit of Match and FourFourTwo Magazines, which he duly obliges with a Cheshire cat green on his face, and a school boy sense of excitement.
Immediately my mind is put at rest comforted that Johnson has the temperament and attitude of a Scholes, Neville or Giggs. Maybe, just maybe, Johnson is the answer to England’s perennial left wing problem?
You’ve made your move to Manchester City now, were you annoyed you didn’t have a ‘Welcome to Manchester’ banner like Carlos Tevez?
(laughs) No, he’s obviously a massive player, I’ve got some way to go to get to his level.
If you had been offered a banner, what line would you have gone for? The Sport.co.uk office were thinking it could be ‘Check out our Johnson’…
Something like that, I’m not sure people in Manchester would know what it meant though.
Obviously you’ve come off an unbelievable conveyer belt of talent at Middlesbrough, what is special about the club and in particular the year that came out of the Youth Cup winning side?
Yeah, I think the year above me, my year and the year below were three years when a good few players came through. I think it’s probably just one of those things, so many good players came through at once and I don’t think it’s ever happened again.
The academy’s first class, probably the best in the country, I think they’ve brought the most players through over the last six or seven years. Getting to the Youth Cup final and then winning it the second year just shows the talent and it’s obviously a great credit to Dave Parnaby, Ron Bone and all the people at the academy who’ve put into the lads what’s right and wrong on the football pitch and off it. They’ve brought the lads up so well.
Johnson lurking outside the GMEX Manchester
Who of your peers in that group do you think has a really good opportunity of making it not only at Premier League level but also International?
There’s obviously a few, I’m good pals with Lee Cattermole who went to Wigan and then Sunderland and is playing well. He plays for the under-21’s and then with him there’s David Wheater who was the same year as me, and I grew up with him since I was ten. There’s a few lads coming through who’ve got a chance who are playing in the first team now at Middlesbrough so there should hopefully be a few more who push on.
You and Stuart [Downing] played together and he was a sort of mentor to you, what sort of advice did he give you and was there even a competitive element to your relationship?
We were good friends to be honest, we were always the last two off the training field. We got on really well and when I played with him it worked but we didn’t really get played together enough.
Gareth Southgate is one of your biggest advocates, we spoke to him yesterday about you and he said you were a phenomenal talent and one to watch. What sort of influence did he have on you and what was his man-management style?
He was different, to be honest, he came straight from playing into management so a lot of the players he took over, he was their captain the season before and it was really weird at first. But he was very fair, he was one of the lads at first and he was excellent with everyone. He wouldn’t go and be a shouter, he’d come and speak to you about things. It mainly took off for me under Southgate at the beginning of the season in the Championship when I was playing week in, week out and doing well and that’s when we started to get more of a benefit from me.
We had Stuey there the year before and we were a struggling team and playing me and Stuey in the same team was going to leave us wide open. I think he said he should have played me maybe a little bit more which was nice to hear and just shows the type of bloke he is. He’s a good guy.
You’ve showed you can handle pressure immediately stepping into Stuart Downing’s shoes, he was obviously the heart of that side. Did you feel a lot of pressure stepping up last summer?
No, I’d still played quite a few games for Middlesbrough, although maybe not a run of every single game. I didn’t really think of that as filling Stuey’s boots, he’s a Middlesbrough lad and everyone loves him and I think a lot of people compared me with him which I didn’t really agree with. He’s gone on to have a fantastic career himself and he’ll keep progressing and probably go to the World Cup which I hope he will.
When you were linked to Real Madrid that was obviously fairytale stuff. Was there any truth to it and did you know they ever watched you?
There were brief rumours at the time that the manager [Juande Ramos] wanted me but he was only there until the end of the season so the board weren’t sure whether they were going to let him buy people. I don’t know whether any of that was true or if it would have come about if he was the permanent manager but just being linked with them was amazing.
You’re a top young player so you’re obviously linked with everyone, what’s the banter like in training? Does everyone read the papers and when you come in go ‘Oh, Adam’s been linked again, who is it this week’…
It was a bit like that at Middlesbrough, I probably got linked with everyone since I was about 18. I’ve learnt to take it with a pinch of salt now until someone comes in with a bid to buy you. It was nice to be linked with all those clubs when I was younger and get a bit of recognition for what you’re doing. But I just got my head down and the lads are the lads aren’t they? There always going to have banter with you, and lads at Middlesbrough are the academy team who I’ve grown up with so they can say what they want to me and I know they don’t mean it!
Your move came about after a few weeks when Gordon Strachan obviously wanted to keep you, but it was a good move financially for the club. Was it always City or was there anyone else involved?
I think there were a few other clubs interested but the money was what Middlesbrough wanted and City were willing to pay for me. With four months left on your contract you know someone can get you for a bit cheaper in the summer so it was brilliant for me to know someone wanted me there and then. I was happy Middlesbrough got a good fee for me and obviously it’ll go on to help them as well because I owe them everything for my career and I wouldn’t have wanted to leave on a free or on bad terms. I feel like I’ve left on pretty good terms and scoring 12 goals has helped them to be where they are in the league.
There’s nothing more I’d wish than that they can make the play-offs and Gordon Strachan was excellent with me from day one. I think he understood that it was time for me to leave.
How much of an influence did your England Under-21 colleagues, Micah Richards and Nedum Onouha, have on you moving to City?
Yeah, I get in touch with Nedum anyway outside of football, we always text eachother.
Have you been to one of his DJ sets?
No, I haven’t been to one of them but I’m sure I will. Nedum and Micah have been brilliant since I came here, they’ve helped me settle in really well and it’s nice to have a couple of lads who you know because going into the dressing-room with all those big players is a bit scary on the first day.
You’ve been given the number 11 shirt straight away, and a long contract. How much does that boost you to think you can immediately produce?
Yeah, it gives you confidence, it’s up to me now to prove to everyone that I’m worthy of wearing the number 11. And it’s obviously a high transfer fee for someone with only four months left on their contract. A lot of people said it’s unheard of but it’s flattering to me and I just want to pay City back for the faith they’ve showed in me.
Do you think more Premier League clubs should be looking at Championship players, can the top players in the Championship make it in the Premier League now?
If you look at the likes of the top teams in the league - Newcastle and West Brom and teams like that have players who have played 400 times in the Premier League in their squads and I think the gap is getting a bit closer now. Middlesbrough have got the likes of Gary O’Neill who are Premier League players in my eyes. And then there’s David Wheater who got called into the England squad, and played a year in the Premiership and was outstanding.
There are definitely players who could make the step up no problem at all, it’s just a case of whether the money’s right and whether the clubs let them go because they’re trying to get back up the Premier League. It’s not as easy as just going and buying someone.
And Roberto Mancini, what style of management has he brought and what type of manager is he?
He’s brought the Italian mentality with not getting beaten, being very good defensively and keeping a good, solid shape. But he likes attacking players and he likes to watch good football and that’s what he’s trying to put into us. That’s what I like doing and he’s been tremendous with me from day one.
Even though there’s a defensive mentality, is he keen to encourage you to attack?
It’s not a defensive mentality where no-one’s allowed to go forward, it’s just you don’t want to be left wide open when everyone’s attacking because the number of teams you see getting caught on the counter attack these days is just phenomenal. I think he wants everything just perfect, we do our tactical positions so we know what he wants from us in each position, and that’s brought me on a lot to be honest.
Who’s impressed you most out of the City players in training?
You could probably take your pick out of a hat. Carlos has been the player of the season since signing for City and the goals he’s scored. I think his performance against Chelsea probably sums up how he’s playing at the minute. Going to Argentina for however long and then coming straight back and meeting the team at the hotel and scoring two goals at Stamford Bridge, for me, then you know you’re a top class player.
Mancini’s compared you to Ryan Giggs, and I know you’ve said he’s one of your heroes, how important is it for you that a manager is backing you like that, or does it add more pressure?
Some people may take it as pressure but I just take confidence from it. It does put a little bit more pressure on you and obviously the city fans are expecting a bit more from you now but if you want to get to where you want to be quick in the game you’ve got to deal with all these sorts of things. It’s great to hear your own manager say that and it makes you feel happy that he has such faith in you.
Obviously Man City have been in the press for non-footballing issues, has that galvanised the dressing-room and how has Mancini dealt with that?
I think if you went round the dressing room you wouldn’t even know there was anything going on in the press, I think we stay together really well, everyone’s close and we just enjoy training. We just get on each day and everyone makes probably a bigger deal out of it that what it is. We just get on with our football, get our heads down and continue to try and win games.
Johnson in action for England U21's against France U21's.
Not since Italia ’90 with Chris Waddle and John Barnes have we had an International winger of genuine class and quality. That’s where you come in. Do you really think that you are the future left-winger for England in a problem area we’ve had for 10 years?
I hope so. To hear quotes like that is fantastic, since I signed everyone’s only had good things to say about me and it’s great hearing that stuff. I just have to keep it going because I know how quickly things can change if you don’t continue to play well. Me being likened to players like that, even though it’s a different decade, is obviously fantastic for my confidence as well.
The World Cup is now a realistic target for you, do you think you can do it?
I don’t know. I’d like to think so, if I see myself in the World Cup that would just be something else but first of all I’ve got to concentrate on playing well for City and getting us into fourth spot. If I do play well I might make the actual squads for the friendlies leading up to it, and I think it’s important to get in a squad first and show what I can do. I’m trying not to think about that too much, but if it did come up then it that would just be a dream come true.
Has Fabio picked up the phone at all?
No, I haven’t spoken to him. I only spoke to Stuart Pearce when I signed and he said ‘this is a great opportunity for you and there will be more eyes on you now, we’ll keep a look out for you and now you’re in the Premier League you should have a good chance’.
How important has Stuart Pearce been in your development?
Yeah, I said all along the Under-21’s career was unbelievable from day one to be honest. I couldn’t pick a game that I didn’t enjoy or didn’t feel like I did well. I scored some important goals leading up to the tournament and in big games and play-offs and that will always stick with me. Obviously playing in the final in the summer was probably the biggest game I’ve played in but to get beat in the way we did was probably also the biggest low for me that I’ve ever really felt in life to be honest.
Finally, of your generation of young English players around the England Under-21 squad, apart from yourself, who is that other special talent who is going to go on and be a world-beater in your eyes?
(long pause) That’s a good question that, there’s a few. I’ve played against Wilshere while he on loan and Bolton and he looks a very good talent. I could probably go on but I think it’s difficult to say at such a young age. I think Rooney was probably a total one-off that you’ll never see for another 10 years, who can just come straight in as a 16-year-old and just tear everything up. Everyone couldn’t believe what he was like, but there are a few and Wilshere’s impressed me when I’ve seen him play for Arsenal so he could be one.
Adam Johnson was speaking at the launch of FIFA 10 Ultimate Team – a new strategic online game mode available on Xbox Live and PSN. For more info go to http://www.easports.co.uk/fifa
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