Ben Johnson helped England’s U21s to secure a win in their opening game of the U21 European Championship.

The young lions beat the Czech Republic 2-0 to secure their first win in the opening round of the Euros since 2009.

Our Academy of Football is no stranger to producing top quality English players with the likes of Moore, Brooking, Ferdinand (to name a few) all coming through the West Ham youth system.

This history of bringing through England’s next generation of players is one that continues to this day, with Rice being well cemented in the England side. Johnson could be another name to add to that list.

He came on in the closing stages of the game and provided some defensive support to see out the game. While his form this season hasn’t been great, he’s clearly got potential to be a fantastic player and, at only 23 years old, there’s still plenty of time for him to improve. 

After making his debut back in 2019 against Manchester City, many fans were left impressed with how well he handled himself. Since then, he’s made over 50 appearances for the Hammers and has, at times, shown glimpses of being top quality. 

As mentioned, he’s not quite been as consistent this season but everyone knows how well he can play. He’s versatile playing comfortably at both left and right back as well as playing as a centre back when needed. 

Pre season is crucial for him and could be key to deciding his future. For now, he has at least two more games with England’s U21s against Israel and Germany. He will be hoping to get some more minutes under his belt and add another accolade to his Conference League winning season.

By Charlie Bass