The future of Michael Johnson.

Rumours surrounding the future of City midfielder Michael Johnson have been doing the rounds for months now. I guess it says as much about the instant information-yearning society we live in nowadays as anything, that a footballer out for a lengthy period of time who's then spotted occasionally socialising is quickly painted out to be a disinterested beermonster through some sort of sordid game of Chinese whispers. I personally think we owe the lad a bit more support. Unless the official word changes from the cause of him being out of action being a serious abdominal injury then as a fan i'm inclined to believe it.

With Stephen Ireland's rise to form this season and the money now available to the manger to sign players it's probably easy to forget just how good a prospect Johnson looked during Sven-Goran Eriksson's season here. He was, in my opinion, one of our most important players that year; a great foil for Elano, a good passer of the ball, creative, could snatch the odd goal, and was well capable of backtracking and winning possession, too. Indeed, over that season i personally thought that along with Vedran Corluka he was a good shout for our Player of the Year, an award which went to Richard Dunne. As happens when any promising prospect comes through, there will be inevitable over-the-top comparisons. Johnson was, by some, both in the media and fans of the club, compared to Colin Bell. I'm sure most of us took those comparisons with a pinch of salt, but for people to make them he must have made a significant impression nonetheless.

His recent public appearances, firstly at a supporters club function, and then this weekend on Sky Sports News, have for some reason been met with ridicule by elements of our support. I'm not particularly sure why. The boy hasn't played or been able to train properly for nine months, any period of inactivity as such will result in a significant drop in fitness. If you've ever stopped keeping fit yourself you'll know, it's not at all out of the ordinary to put on a couple of pounds each month. To me, he looked a little overweight, but that's no big deal, he'll shed that weight quickly once able to train fully once more. I wouldn't read too much into it.

Stories, though, continue to spread like wildfire regards the player's social habits. To be fair, Mark Hughes himself has hinted that Johnson's problems may well involve more than his injury, but i think that's to be expected. Imagine being on the verge of a footballing career for your hometown club, doing what you love for a living, potentially winning silverware or England caps, plus of course the other trappings that come as part of the game these days. An injury that sounds both as serious and rare as his, resulting in months spent twiddling thumbs, even the possibility of retirement hanging over you, that's going to effect the lad's morale. If he's a little fed-up, or whilst immobile manages to maintain some sort of social life to keep his chin up, then what's the problem?

These rumours, of course, are probably just that. I know i've not seen him falling out of nightclubs, neither i suspect has anyone else, not with regularity anyway. More likely is that some idiot spots him once, if at all, out having a quiet night with friends, as everyone should be allowed, tells his pals, they tell theirs, the idle gossip spreads through forums and gets discussed by fans at games and before you know it the exaggerated, even fabricated tales are, by some at least, taken as gospel. It just strikes me as a little petty, and if i'm honest, hypocritical. We're soon on the backs of the press for rumour-mongering, yet lots are spreading muck like this themselves. I appreciate that rumour is a part of football, and often fun in regards to transfers and the like, but scurrilous gossip about a young player like this is a bit too much, in my opinion.

I've every faith that Johnno will get over his knock, regain his fitness and play a big part in the future of Manchester City. Not only is he a very good player, but he's an Academy product and a local boy, so that's more reason why i want him to be a success here. I'd love nothing more than seeing him and Ireland pulling the strings in our midfield whilst surrounded by some of the world's best players. I just hope that some of the fans who've been giving him stick can get behind him instead of spreading ridiculous and seemingly completely unfounded rumours.