Patience needed with Johnson

When Adam Johnson signed from Middlesbrough in January many doubted the role in the deal of manager Roberto Mancini. Linked with the club a couple of months before he arrived, being the only cash transfer of that window, and given the gaffer's likely limited knowledge of the Championship, it had been thought Johnson was more of a club signing than someone the Italian had identified.

Whatever the truth about that, no-one could argue that the player didn't impress during his brief appearance against us in that dreary and quickly forgettable New Year third round cup tie. There's the strong possibility that Berto could have been quite taken with what he saw that day - a player capable of effortlessly skipping past bodies, with an end-product better than that of any of his current crop in a traditional winger sense, and generally the sort of bums-off-seats wide-man loved by fans throughout the game.

On signing, given that the names in front of him included probable Player of the Year Craig Bellamy, first-team mainstay, until recently at least, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and the then in-form Martin Petrov, and with the shadow of our most expensive ever signing lurking somewhere, probably half-heartedly, Johnson had been expected to at best be used as a bit-part player.

Though i'm sure he had made an impression during his time at Boro, the boy who has rocked up at City looks far from the punt made out at the time. During his debut from the bench at Hull he showed more interest than the entire starting eleven combined. His home introduction versus Bolton was one that will live long in the memory, always looking for the ball and to take on his man, it was the single highlight of an appalling evening's football, and at Sunderland on Sunday he well and truly saved our bacon.

It's becoming quickly apparent that we've bought a special player, and not just that but one capable of making an instant impact. I'm quite sure of his ability, but i do have slight concerns that we may be putting too much on his shoulders too soon, and talk of him being the man to replace England's most high-profile modern-day international, albeit one well past his prime, strikes me as a bit of a double-edged sword.

With the World Cup edging nearer, and questions over either the fitness of form of pretty much all the candidates for the right-wing position, there's a real chance that if Adam continues to have an impact then he could sneak one of the final places on the plane. As much as a finals littered with City players would be exciting, Johnson, in my opinion, needs time, and i'd rather his rise into the ranks of the full England side be a more natural one, and he not be the latest built-up and inevitably knocked down tabloid wonderkid.

Examples can be easily found at both club and international level of too much being expected of promising young players far too early in their careers. For England, the obvious reference point would be Theo Walcott, lauded as the next big thing far too early, ridiculously included in the final twenty-three for the last World Cup, his career suffering since save the odd bit of unexpected magic - that great run at Anfield in the Champions League springs to mind.

Our own fans need only look at Stephen Ireland's disappointing season. Last year he was our complete driving force, key to absolutely everything we did, but due to several factors - the integration into the side of Carlos Tevez, changes in formation, position, manager, competition for places, he's now struggling to be involved at all. That should be neither as unexpected nor as much a problem as it is, he's a young lad still learning his trade, not the second coming.

To be fair to Adam, he comes across as an extremely level-headed young fellow. He'll know that his move here will involve a tremendous amount of hard work, and that there are a number of players ahead of him in the running for England. Whilst i'm certain he'd never let them down, and could provide that unpredictable spark few others possess, we all - Blues, the media, England fans, and those who manage him, need to be a bit patient. He's one for the future, what will be will be, but kid gloves will do for now.