There has been recent anguish over the recent downfall of former promising English midfielder Michael Johnson. He has now been released by Manchester City, one of England’s biggest clubs and unless a drastic improvement is made in his fitness, diet and lifestyle he may be without a club for a while.
Having suffered two major injuries to halt his progress, the former England under 21 international took the young man’s lifestyle of drinking and nights out rather than working on his fitness.
Many people are already jumping on his back, criticising how one player can go from such promising talent to almost being washed up and out of his prime at the tender age of 24.
But for me Johnson’s path is one that can be sympathised with. The sheer misfortune of his abdominal and double hernia injuries halted his career in an instant. But with most players, they know they are coming back into the first team squad and that is often the major incentive to work harder to come back from injury.
At Manchester City, it was one of the most unstable clubs in the country during 2006 and beyond. Players would be moving in and out frequently, managers were chopped and changed and even a new owner of the club.
With this type of instability and the frequency of injuries, who can blame a 22 year old wanting to relieve a bit of stress. Sure boozing and fast food eating is not the way, but it was perhaps the only way Johnson knew.
I remember a preview to a game for Manchester City when Johnson was at his highest peak, and they interviewed him at home where he was still living with his parents. In my eyes he seemed so down to earth that doing stuff that most twenty year olds do most weekends may not of been so out of the norm.
It would be nice to see Johnson come back into football, it is highly unlikely he will achieve what so many people tipped him to do, but maybe make a fresh start in the lower leagues.
He became the forgotten man of Manchester City, but unfortunately he has been remembered again for the wrong reasons.