Johnson frustrated by being benched

12 November 2010 16:30
Adam Johnson has admitted he is finding life on the bench at Manchester City hard. Although he has made 16 appearances for the Blues so far this term in a season that only extends to 19 matches, only half of them have been as a member of Roberto Mancini's starting line-up. His only Premier League start since the beginning of September came at Blackpool last month and he was restricted to a 20-minute cameo in Wednesday's Manchester derby. For a player who made such a positive impact following his arrival from Middlesbrough, his fall from grace has been hard to comprehend, particularly as he played a starring role against Liverpool in August and subsequently scored in both matches as England made a flying start to their Euro 2012 qualification campaign by beating Bulgaria and Switzerland. "I wouldn't say I was great with it," the 23-year-old told Key 103. "I am the type of person that wants to play football all the time, so it is hard to watch. "I will still do my best and try to get back into the team but it is a little bit frustrating because I started the season well and my form was really good. But I have still tended to find myself on the bench."

Source: PA