Daniel Lewis

Tue 19 December 2023 12:10, UK

Brennan Johnson took part in Tottenham training on Tuesday (19 December) and is set to be in contention to start the Premier League clash with Everton, according to Sky Sports News.

The Wales international was forced off the field after just half an hour of last Friday’s (15 December) 2-0 win against former club Nottingham Forest due to a facial injury.

That was a cruel blow for Johnson on the back of producing arguably his most impressive Spurs display to date in the previous game’s 4-1 win over Newcastle United.

In that contest on 10 December, Johnson registered a perfect 100-per-cent return in terms of dribbles completed (4/4) [Sofascore] and hit the frame of the goal twice.

The direct nature of the 22-year-old’s game was a huge benefit for Ange Postecoglou, and it was no surprise that he retained his place for the trip to the City Ground.

In his limited time on the field against Forest, Johnson completed all four of his passes (100 per cent) and also went close to scoring with a prodded effort fairly early on.

The facial injury sustained in Nottingham threatened to keep him out of action, especially if it was concussion-related, but Jamie Weir has provided a positive update on Sky Sports News.

“The good news is that Brennan Johnson is out there,” Weir said from Tottenham’s training ground [19 December, 11:05].

“He came off with 20 minutes gone against Nottingham Forest. After the game, Ange Postecoglou said it was a deep cut. So it’s good to see Brennan Johnson out there.”

If there has been one negative to Johnson’s performances thus far in a Tottenham shirt, it has been the relative lack of end product. While he may be averaging one key pass per game [WhoScored], he has just two assists and one goal in 11 league appearances.

That is not exactly a disastrous return, but the likes of Destiny Udogie, Manor Solomon and Pape Matar Sarr have assisted just as many goals (two), while Pedro Porro has three more.

In Johnson’s most recent full performance, the win over Newcastle, he also found a team-mate from just one of his four crosses, while none of his three shots were on target.

There are clearly aspects of his game for Johnson to work on, then, but his ability to beat a man and get into the final third as quickly as possible stands him out from the rest.

Indeed, as per FBref, Johnson is registering 4.55 progressive carries per 90 minutes this season – defined as attacking phases that move the ball 10 yards or more closer to the opposition goal – which is bettered only by Dejan Kulusevski (5.64) among Spurs regulars.

Whereas Kulusevski is dispossessed 2.24 times per 90 minutes, Johnson loses the ball just 0.76 per 90, basically meaning opponents find it tougher to halt his runs.

It has been a solid start to life at Tottenham for Johnson, who will now be eager to kick on as Spurs finally get a positive injury boost after constant blows.

In other Tottenham news, Danny Murphy and Shay Given were full of praise for Spurs’ 102-touch ace in the win over Forest.