Good news, as Eddie Johnson's off to Coventry on a season long loan! (link)
Sky Blues sign United striker
Peter Reid has signed his second Manchester United player of the summer, bringing in 19-year-old striker Eddie Johnson on a season long loan from the Old Trafford outfit.
Johnson – who has made one first team appearance for United, against Leeds in the Carling Cup last October – follows in the footsteps of midfielder Neil Wood who penned a two-year-deal with the Sky Blues last week
Despite a lack of experience Johnson achieved an impressive strike rate while on loan with Royal Antwerp in Belgium and can’t wait for next season to get underway when he hopes to help the Sky Blues to success.
"I’m definitely looking forward to it," said the England Under 20 international. "I think it will be good for me to get the experience and I’m going to class myself as a Coventry player for the season. My main aim is obviously to do well for myself but I want to do the best for Coventry as well and hopefully get them promoted or at least to the play-offs.
"I was on loan in Belgium with Royal Antwerp at the end of last season and I did okay there. I played eleven games and scored nine goals. The standard doesn’t touch our Premier League but it is quite high.
"I also played for the Man United reserves last season and I got a few games the season before last as well. All in all I’ve scored about 12 goals in 21 games for them."
Despite success at every level he has played at Johnson admits that making the next step at United is the hardest and realised he had to go elsewhere for games, although he has been told by Sir Alex Ferguson that the door remains open.
"The gaffer thought it would be a good idea for me to come and get some experience. I spoke to him at the end of last season when I came back from Antwerp and he still sees me in his plans but with the strikers they’ve got – Alan Smith, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Louis Saha –it’s difficult to slot in there. I’ve come here to gain my own experience, hopefully do well and take it back to United next year."
Johnson added that the fact Wood is here will help him settle and he can’t wait to gel with his new teammates on the pre-season tour of Germany.
"I know Woody really well and we get on. It’s given me somebody to help break the ice with the new lads. It’ll make it easier for me but they’ve all been great with me anyway and made me feel really welcome.
"I’ll join up with them for the Germany trip on Friday. I haven’t been able to do much at United because I’ve had tonsillitis for the last few weeks. I’ll be out there getting to know the lads and hopefully getting my fitness ready for the start of the season."
