Former England international Ian Wright has praised Nottingham Forest starlet Brennan Johnson following his latest appearance for the Wales national team.
The 20-year-old has been on international duty this week and came off the bench in their FIFA World Cup qualifying play-off victory over Austria before starting up-front in a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic on Tuesday evening, providing the assist for Rubin Colwill's goal.
It was Johnson's ninth cap for Cymru after switching allegiances from England at youth level to Wales - as well as being eligible to play for Jamaica - and his stock has increased significantly throughout the 2021-22 season.
Following a productive loan spell at Lincoln City in League One last season, where he narrowly missed out on a play-off final-wining medal with the Imps, Johnson came into the Forest first-team, initially under Chris Hughton at the start of the season and has impressed ever since.
Johnson has a current tally of 12 goals in 40 games for Forest in all competitions and his latest performance on the international stage caught the attention of Wright, a prolific scorer back in his day for his country and Arsenal.
"When you’re seeing players like that coming through, it has got to be quite exciting," Wright said about Johnson on ITV, via Nottingham Forest News.
"Brennan Johnson, every time you see him he looks better. He’s got 12 goals, six assists this season. He’s improving.”
The Verdict
Johnson is no longer a secret - and truth be told he hasn't been for a while.
His electric pace and finishing has caught a number of eyes - including Premier League scouts - this season and if Forest don't get promoted at the end of the current campaign then you have to question what happens next in his career.
He looks ready-made for the top flight and he's also very versatile, so clubs will be looking to tempt Forest into accepting decent offers for him this summer should they not make the Premier League.
And when you're getting singled out for praise by a former player like Wright, he must be doing a lot of good to be noticed - now it's a case of how many other clubs are taking serious notice of him.