West Ham trusted Millwall with future England star - Lions fans may have forgotten his time at The Den | OneFootball

West Ham United were aided in the development of Glen Johnson by their bitterest of rivals Millwall.

He went on to be capped by England on 54 occasions and played at three major tournaments for the Three Lions, but his spell with Millwall could easily have even been forgotten about by their own supporters.

Glen Johnson came through the famed West Ham United academy around the same time as the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole.

He would go on to showcase his abilities at a number of clubs, but first broke into the West Ham first-team at the back end of the 2002/03 campaign, as the Irons suffered a relegation from the Premier League, ending what was a ten-year stay in the top-flight.

What earned him a chance in the first-team at Upton Park, though, was a surprising loan stint at West Ham’s bitterest rivals Millwall, the club where he actually made his professional debut.

Johnson’s stint at Millwall was short and forgettable

The future England international had signed a professional contract with West Ham in the summer of 2002, but, as he developed, found himself on the fringes of the first-team.

As a result, he went and joined local rivals Millwall, on what was an initial four-week loan that was twice extended by the Lions, despite the fact Johnson didn’t get back into the eleven.

After joining in mid-October, Johnson had played his eighth and final game for Millwall as soon as 21 days’ later with a 12-minute substitute appearance in a 1-0 loss to south London rivals Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

As he returned to West Ham, he found himself almost immediately in the first-team from mid-January, playing 16 matches across all competitions as the Irons were relegated under the caretaker management of Trevor Brooking.

Despite his overall fairly underwhelming and forgettable stint at Millwall, Johnson had found himself getting regular minutes at struggling West Ham by the end of the season, and that transformed his career.

Johnson’s move to Chelsea and beyond

In the summer of 2003, following their relegation from the top-flight, West Ham had to once again part company with Johnson to another London rival, with Chelsea bringing in the right-back on a permanent basis.

With Chelsea, Johnson was on the fringes of the side for the first couple of seasons, firstly under Claudio Ranieri and then under Jose Mourinho, before essentially being bombed out by the latter.

After a loan spell at Portsmouth in the 2006/07 campaign, he moved down to Fratton Park on a permanent basis and that is where he established himself as one of the better right-backs in the Premier League, earning a move to Liverpool in 2009.

He made 200 appearances for the Reds, and became a key man for them as they won the 2012 League Cup, as well as playing a key role in the 2013/14 title challenge under the management of Brendan Rodgers. He ended up finishing his career at Stoke City.

Johnson went on to have an impressive career in the top-flight and for his national team, and yet his stint at The Den could easily have been forgotten by most Millwall supporters.

He played for some of the biggest clubs in England, but it all began with him enduring a short stint on loan at West Ham’s bitterest of rivals, in a move that with someone of a higher profile at the time could have resulted in genuine protest from the support.

West Ham ended up getting a £6 million fee from Chelsea in 2003, and there is a reasonable argument to make that they may have never ended up with that profit it wasn't for their arch-rivals, and that may be something that stings Millwall supporters.