Lee Johnson is working hard to try to keep Daniel Johnson at the club. Johnson is on loan from Aston Villa and made his final appearance for the club on Boxing Day. He had played seven games with a return of three goals which included a double in the 3-0 win at Rochdale. Johnson admits that it will be difficult to sign the 22-year-old on a permanent basis but is doing his best.
Johnson said, “Talks are ongoing. There are a number of factors at play. Can we afford what he would want, wages-wise, do Aston Villa want a fee, and what about other interested parties? All these things have to be taken into account. Ideally, I see him a little like a Korey Smith-type project. He is a good age at 22 and clearly a creative spark.”
“The only reason Daniel didn’t start against Crewe (he came on as sub) was that Liam Kelly wasn’t there. It wasn’t anything against him. I just felt we needed that extra defensive player, as the mistake we may have made at MK Dons was having too many at once on the field who enjoy the ball.”