Brennan Johnson on being labelled 'the future of Welsh football'

If Brennan Johnson ever needs advice on how to handle his growing fame, he can always turn to one of the game’s brightest stars.

The Nottingham Forest forward will try to help his club return to the Premier League for the first time this century on Sunday as they prepare for the Championship play-off final against Huddersfield Town, said to be worth at least £150million to the winner.

Johnson’s father, David, played for Forest during a 13-year career that began at Manchester United, where he struck up a friendship with David Beckham. The pair have remained close ever since, to the extent that when Brennan turned 21 on May 23, the former England captain offered his congratulations on Instagram.

Alongside a picture of himself and Brennan, Beckham wrote to his 73.4m followers: ‘Great job mum and dad. Young, talented but most importantly a great kid.’

Whatever happens on Sunday, there is every chance Johnson will be a Premier League player next season. Brentford had four bids rejected in January, while Leeds, Newcastle and Leicester have also been following the situation closely, with only 12 months remaining on Johnson’s contract.

Yet the dream for Johnson would be to get there with Forest. The Wales international was happy enough at the club to make clear that he did not want to leave in January and since the window closed, he has hit 12 goals in 22 games. 

Playing either wide or through the middle, Johnson has stepped up in the absence of Lewis Grabban and Keinan Davis and delivered exactly when Forest needed it most, scoring in both legs as they squeaked past Sheffield United on penalties in the play-off semi-finals.

If Steve Cooper’s appointment last September was the catalyst for Forest’s remarkable climb from