Graeme Souness has paid an emotional tribute to David Johnson, who has died at the age of 71.
The former Liverpool man played alongside Souness at Anfield, winning two European Cups together in 1978 and 1981. He would make 213 appearances and score 78 goals in six years with the Reds as they enjoyed huge dominance - Johnson himself helping them claim four top flight titles.
Johnson, nicknamed 'The Doc', also had two spells with Liverpool's neighbours Everton and played eight times for England, scoring on six occasions. Before joining Liverpool he had made over 100 appearances for Ipswich, where he played under Sir Bobby Robson.
Souness, who was visibly impacted by Johnson's passing, paid tribute to his former team-mate, both as a player and a person. He said on ITV: "Extremely sad, when people pass normally everyone says ‘what a good guy’, well this guy was genuinely a good man, a great team-mate, extremely popular in the dressing room, we called him ‘The Doc’ because everyday he’d turn up to training with a bag of medicines and if we had a hangover, a tummy upset, he was the go-to man.
"I can’t tell you how good he was, he was a lovely human being, and didn't have a bad bone in his body. As a player he was the perfect forward for Kenny Dalglish in those days.
"He’d run forward without the ball, extremely athletic, would go for crosses and get himself injured, as I said already he was just a great guy."
Several of Johnson's other team-mates have echoed Souness' sentiment. Kenny Dalglish wrote on Twitter : “Sad news about the Doc. David was hugely popular in the dressing room. A really good guy and condolences to all his family. RIP DOC YNWA.”
David Fairclough said on social media: “So sad to hear my great friend and Liverpool legend David Johnson has passed away today. Shared so many great moments and memories with ‘Jono’. Today is a very sad day. Condolences to all Dave’s family. RIP ‘Doc’.”
Meanwhile Everton said: “Everyone at Everton Football Club is saddened to learn of the untimely passing of David ‘Doc’ Johnson at the age of 71. Our thoughts are with David’s family and friends at this time.”
Johnson would also go on to play for the likes of Barnsley, Manchester City and Preston later in his career. He also spent a year as the player-manager of Barrow. Johnson, post retirement, was a regular contributor on BBC Radio Merseyside, where he gave his insight on matches.
