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Scouting expert backs Nottingham Forest ace Brennan Johnson to take over Wales mantle from Gareth Bale
We’re delighted to welcome Football Manager’s Wolves researcher Dave Azzopardi as our exclusive columnist. Each week the scouting expert will be giving his views on the biggest talking points on Wonderkids across the UK…
Brennan Johnson’s Premier League form could see him be the eventual successor for Gareth Bale in the Wales national team, says Dave Azzopardi.
Johnson helped Nottingham Forest earn promotion to the Premier League and then signed a new deal with the club in the summer, and has scored twice in six appearances already.
With the World Cup coming up later in the year, it could be the final international tournament that legendary Wales forward Bale participates in and if Johnson continues his good performances then Azzopardi believes he could take that mantle in the side.
“He’s a very talented player,” he told The Football Wonderkids.
“We’ve seen over the last few years especially, a good amount of Championship players coming up and doing a job in the Premier League and I think this, regardless of what happens to Forest this season, for him it’s almost the perfect season to almost give himself a platform in the Premier League. Almost an audition for other Premier League clubs.
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“Because if things go wrong at Forest or whatever then he’s shown what he’s capable of in the Premier League.
“It’s great that he’s stayed at Forest because obviously they’ve signed a ridiculous amount of players as well, so as an outsider it will be interesting to see how they get on.
“They’ve signed a couple of strikers so there will be competition for places but if he can keep his place in the team, a young, talented player is going to want to prove his worth.
“Wales have got a couple of decent players coming through and a good amount of young players and I think for Brennan Johnson if he’s in there [it’s good].
“They’re not going to be able to rely on Gareth Bale forever, he’s coming towards the end of his career so if they’ve got another talented player whose younger and can play a similar sort of role that would be perfect for them.“
In other Nottingham Forest news, Ian Wright and Jermain Defoe love Brennan Johnson