The Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill has said that he expects the former Manchester city winger Adam Johnson to be a major player for the club in the next few seasons. The 25-year-old was signed from the Premier league champions for an undisclosed fee. He has signed a four-year contract with the north-east club.
Martin O’Neill has said that he is extremely delighted to have captured the winger, who also interested Liverpool and Tottenham. Adam Johnson was one of the most exciting players in the Premier league with Middlesbrough, but he has for the first team opportunities limited at the Etihad stadium since moving to Manchester city two seasons ago.
The Manchester city manager Roberto Mancini said that he was willing to let go of the player unwillingly because of his desire to play regular first-team football. The England international is adept at playing on both wings, but is known for playing on the right wing to great effect.
Sunderland have not made a large number of signings up until now, but Martin O’Neill has managed to bring in the likes of Stephen Fletcher and Adam Johnson. This would enable him to have some options when it comes to big matches like the opening fixture against Arsenal.
“Adam is a very, very exciting player – top quality. He has vitality and brilliance. We’re going to try to get the very best out of him. I hope he doesn’t think that every time he gets the ball that there’s going to be a goal at the end of it or something like that. But he’ll excite people – that’s the thing about Adam. We need to score some goals and get a bit of excitement at the football club,” said Martin O’Neill on the official website of the club after announcing the new signing.