Brennan Johnson speaks out on Nottingham Forest role | OneFootball

Brennan Johnson says he has happy to play anywhere for Nottingham Forest as long as he is affecting things in the final third.

The Nottingham Forest youngster has come up leaps and bounds this season, after spending the previous campaign on loan with Lincoln City in League One.

Before his move to the Imps, Johnson played as an advanced midfielder under Sabri Lamouchi, but his role at Lincoln saw him play mainly as an offensive winger.

Johnson was used as a number 10 under Chris Hughton in the early stages of this season, but they have turned a corner under Steve Cooper, with Johnson being used in a different role.

Johnson has been influential playing as a right-sided forward in Forest’s 3-4-3 formation, registering two assists and scoring one goal in the month of September.

His performances saw him be named the EFL Young Player of the Month in September, having hugely impressed for the club.

Speaking in the pre-match press conference on Thursday, Johnson said: “I think I’m quite flexible in terms of where I play. We’ve played some different formations this season and I’ve fit into different positions.

“I think I have come a long way. I used to be more of a midfield player and a number 10, but now I want to affect the game higher up, score goals and get assists.

“Wherever that is, it might be out wide, as a number 10, or even as two strikers which we’ve been playing recently.

“At the moment, I’m still quite flexible and wherever I’m needed, I’m happy to play.”

The Verdict

I don’t think the number 10 role was getting the best out of Johnson. It was too easy for defenders to mark him.

He thrives on space, and you even saw when he did play as a number 10, he naturally wanted to drift out wide to the right.

He is a special player with incredible pace, and will go a long way in the game.