The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas has been discussing West Ham United’s young, English right-back Ben Johnson.
After making his first-team debut for the Hammers last season against Manchester City, the 20-year-old defender has made two further Premier League appearances this season (per Transfermarkt).
Over those two appearances, Johnson has earned a solid 6.76/10 average rating which has made him the Irons’ ninth-best performer this season (per WhoScored).
So, in the latest episode of The Athletic’s U Irons podcast, Thomas discussed the young defender and heaped praise on him.
He said: “Even when he gave the ball away against Watford, I’m putting that down to nerves – hadn’t been in the first-team picture for quite some time.
“He played really well and he thought, ‘You know what, I’ll put that to the back of my mind now, I’ll play well.’
“For me, I feel like he’s a better defender than [Jeremy] Ngakia and also a better threat going forward. We saw against [Manchester] United a few crosses [whipped] into the box, first-time balls, good delivery.
“I mean, the sky’s the limit for Johnson. I’m of the opinion that if he keeps playing well, that right-back position will be his, moving forward.”
TIF Thoughts…
As can be seen in what Thomas had to say, he clearly has a high opinion of the young defender and believes that he could become an important player for the Hammers.
Does Ben Johnson have the potential to be an important player for West Ham?
Yes, he looks like a talent
No, he's not good enough
Judging from the fact that over his two league outings this season he made more tackles per game (3.5) than any other player in West Ham’s squad has done this term, it would certainly seem the defender has a bright future.