Tipped as being Platt Lane’s greatest discovery and likened by many to a young Colin Bell, Johnson quickly established himself in the Blues’ first-team before a series of serious injuries halted his progress.
After spells with several clubs including Everton and Feyenoord, Johnson signed for City in 2004 and was part of the side that reached the 2006 FA Youth Cup Final.
He made his Premier League debut for City in a 4-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic in October 2006 and scored his first goal for the club in a 1-0 victory over Derby County in August 2007 – the Blues’ first at home for several months.
Johnson finished the 2007/08 campaign with three goals and started the 2008/09 season in great form, but a recurrence of an abdominal injury kept the midfielder out of action for seven months until he eventually made his return at reserve level in April 2009.
He made his first appearance of the 2009/10 season in September 2009 in a 3-1 win over West Ham coming on as a sub, but six weeks later he suffered another serious injury, this time to his knee, keeping him out for the rest of the season
...The Graduates.
A cameo appearance and spectacular goal against Scunthorpe reminded everyone of the talent he has in abundance, but he has continually taken one step forward and two back in terms of fitness and six weeks later, he suffered a knee injury that ended yet another season.
In a bid to get the skilful midfielder somewhere near his best again, the Blues agreed to a one-year loan deal with Leicester City, allowing Johnson to link up with his former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson once again.
To date, he has made just a couple of appearances for the Foxes and it remains to be seen whether he can use his time in the East Midlands to re-launch a career that, at one stage, appeared to have no limits.
At 23, he still has plenty of time on his side.
