Adam Johnson spent two years at Manchester City between 2010-12, but his time at Etihad Stadium was so wretched that he would later implore other young players not to join the Citizens, and that if he could have his time again, he would not have joined the Manchester club, despite the fact he won the Premier League with them in 2012. Johnson was signed from Middlesbrough in January 2010 but was always used sparingly by Roberto Mancini, and struggled to break into the first team set-up. The midfielder made only a handful of appearances in his first season, and struggled to displace more experienced players such as Yaya Toure. Johnson once said of time time at the club: Now, if I was a young lad, I wouldnt go to City.
'It is excellent when a club like City come in for you, hard to turn down. But you dont actually play for the champions. Youre a squad member, which is totally different. It's not that you're not good enough, its just the likes of Yaya Toure are going to play ahead of you, no matter what you do.'
Johnson has since moved to Sunderland, where he has found first team appearances much easier to come by. He must have wished he had made that decision earlier in his career.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
