11 Extremely Talented Premier League Footballers That Were Ruined By Injuries
7. Michael Johnson
A true footballing tragedy. Things looked rosey for Michael Johnson back in 2006. Having graduated from Manchester City's youth academy, the Englishman was slowly bedded into the first team. After his first two seasons, Johnson had made 35 appearances for Manchester City, and had also been selected to play for England Under 21s.
It looked like Johnson was set to be a Premier League regular as well as an England international in years to come. He was even likened to German midfield general Michael Ballack by his former team-mate Dietmar Hamann.
Sadly, though, Johnson suffered injury after injury. Following such a promising start to his career, Johnson made only 19 senior appearances from the 2008-09 season onwards. A mixture of drink-driving charges, mental health problems and significant weight gain spelled the end to the 27 year-old's career, and he told the Manchester Evening News "I would be grateful if I could now be left alone to live the rest of my life."
The former England Under 21 central midfielder now owns his own estate agent's business in Urmston, and no longer plays football of any kind.