Jamie O’Hara thinks one Tottenham star is hungry to prove his critics wrong after getting plenty of stick from Spurs fans on social media.
Johnson decided to deactivate his Instagram account on the back of the vitriol targeted at him, and the development had garnered much discussion over the winger’s form and the behaviour of trolls online.
The 23-year-old has responded in perfect fashion, finding the back of the net for Tottenham in back-to-back matches.
Ange Postecoglou will hope that the Wales international has now turned a corner and can go on to build on these performances and fulfil his potential.
O’Hara has now remarked that modern-day players have to develop a thick skin, insisting that criticism comes with the territory of playing for a big club.
The pundit suggested that Johnson was right to deactivate his Instagram account, opining that the wide-man is now playing like someone with a point to prove.
The former Spurs midfielder told talkSPORT: “You pay £50m for someone, you have got to expect stick. You can’t be weak mentally as a football player. You have to be strong. It’s a tough one. You play for Spurs, you have to produce week in and week out.
“If you don’t, then you are going to get stick. Every footballer takes stick. It’s part and parcel of playing at the top. You are on a lot of money. You are ready to get shot at.
“So, Brennan Johnson has to be thicker skinned. He’s a good player and we signed him for £50 million. He hasn’t quite done the business yet. When you come at that price tag, you have to do the business, especially at Tottenham.
“When he has deactivated his Instagram account, you know what, good because he doesn’t need it. He isn’t an influencer. He is a professional football player. Concentrate on your game and score goals. No coincidence that he has deactivated his Instagram and scored two goals.
“You go ‘you know what, I am going to show you and I am going to do the business’. If he sticks the middle finger up to the fans, great. Fair play, son. I have no problem with that.”
Through Johnson’s struggles, Postecoglou has continued to start the winger and has kept backing him, even though the Nottingham Forest man was struggling for confidence.
The Australian’s faith in the attacker could now be repaid, with Johnson looking a lot more threatening in the last matches and showing just how difficult he is to stop when he is at his best.
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