Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder Brennan Johnson has revealed that he would now have gone out on loan a season sooner if he could.
The 20-year-old spent last season out on loan in League One with Lincoln City. Johnson had a breakout season as a professional in the third-tier, making almost 50 appearances as the Imps reached the play-off final before losing to Blackpool.
Playing primarily as a winger on either side or in the number 10 role under Michael Appleton, the then-teenager scored 13 goals across all competitions and added another 14 assists on top of that. This form has carried over to the Championship this season, with Johnson tallying 15 goals and eight assists to date.
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After such a momentous rise after making the temporary switch to Lincolnshire, the only thing Johnson would now change about that decision would be to make that step a season earlier. Asked about the moment he would change about his career so far on the Sky Sports EFL Podcast, the Forest academy graduate replied: "Going on loan a bit earlier."
"I think it shaped me as a player massively going on loan and maybe in that season before Lincoln maybe getting out there, I think that would’ve been a good thing to do." Asked to reiterate about going on loan a season earlier to get that career development even earlier, Johnson added: "Exactly. Yeah, I mean Lincoln gave me such good experiences and made me grow as a player so I think going out on loan as early as you can is a good thing to do as a player."
The Forest man's form has reportedly caught the attention of several Premier League sides this season. The latest being Newcastle United, who are said to have already compiled a report on the player ahead of the summer transfer window.
