Johnson's emergence means Town chief won't look to bolster left back area
Academy graduate has impressed during his five game first team streak
The emergence of academy graduate Joe Johnson since breaking into the team this season has quelled any desire that boss Jack Wilshere might have had to bolster Luton’s previously troublesome left back area during the January transfer window.
The 19-year-old, who was one on the books of Arsenal as a youngster, before heading to Kenilworth Road in 2020, suffered a serious hamstring injury in the summer which kept him out for a number of months, eventually returning to full fitness and getting the nod when Kal Naismith picked up a calf problem against Reading before Christmas.
Slotting into his natural full back role for the 4-0 victory over Wycombe, the England youth international, who has played in the Premier League for the Hatters, has started Town’s last five games, completing 90 minutes in each of them, and certainly looks the part. It means that Wilshere won’t be looking at bringing anyone in as competition this month, especially as he has another youngster who he feels is capable of calling upon if needed as well, saying: “I don’t think we need to strengthen that position.
"You’ve got Kal, you’ve got JJ who’s stepped up massively in that position and I think you saw the other night (against Swindon in the Vertu Trophy) as well, there’s another left back at the club who is a little bit younger, but it won’t be too long before he’s ready in Harry Fox. He was outstanding, he’s been with us since Kal got injured and he was there or thereabouts before Kal got injured.
"If we needed a player it would be for him to come over, but actually training and being with the first team all the time is a different challenge. He’s taken it on and he’s stepped up and when I think of the performance the other night, we did okay in certain moments, I didn’t like the second half, but he definitely was a positive.”
Meanwhile, honing in on Johnson’s displays, the teenager has shown signs that he is growing in confidence with every passing moment, happy to take the ball in tight spaces, while often seen heading into more advanced midfield positions to link play with his attackers and not afraid to have a shot on goal too, with three efforts deflected during Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Lincoln City.
Tasked with set-pieces, the full back has shown he is capable of delivering a mean corner as well, Mads Andersen seeing his header wrongly ruled out from one such dead ball situation at the weekend, while his character is shining through too, urging his players off the field for the half time interval having just made it 2-2 against the Imps at the weekend, also regularly geeing the crowd up now too.
Wilshere continued: “He’s been outstanding. It’s always a challenge for a young player to come in, especially a defender into a league that demands that you compete, that you’re aggressive. If you haven’t seen that and you’re a young player and you’re someone like Joe who is so good on the ball and gives you so much in possession, in training when we do small possessions he’s excellent, the challenge for him was always can you get in the team?
"He got in the team because Kal was injured and then he has to take that opportunity and he’s definitely done that. I think a big game for him was the Stevenage game. He did really well up until then, but then that was the challenge that I was talking about, playing against an aggressive team, playing against players that will stick it on you a little bit more than others would. He definitely rose to that challenge, so credit to him, he’s been really important for us.”
Asked if he had been surprised just how good Johnson has been since not only getting his opportunity in the first team, but taking it as well, Wilshere added: “You never know when you’re putting a young player in like that. Someone who when I came in was really confident, he came and knocked on my office and asked about how we’re going to play, where I see him and he took that information on and he’s delivered it.
"I wouldn’t say I’m surprised as I know he’s been around England squads and how highly thought of he was here from academy coaches, from Kevin Foley who was here before. I’d say the only thing that has surprised me is how he’s taken on the challenge of being aggressive out of possession, winning his duels, winning his headers, because I could see straight away the quality he had on the ball. So hopefully he can keep improving, keep being as brave as he is on the ball, but also keep competing out of possession.”