Johnson, who is entering the last year of his current deal, has been hampered by injuries and poor form this season, leading to questions as to whether or not the manager, despite saying otherwise, wants this stalemate to be resolved. When the 29-year old renewed his deal in 2011, it’s believed that he picked up a healthy bump in salary that brought him over the 100k per week mark – something any side would be reluctant to pay for a player with the best years of their career behind them.
It’s hard to discount Johnson’s loyalty though; the England man is one of the longest serving players in the squad and stuck around through the hard times under the Tom Hicks and George Gillett regime. When you couple that with the fact that he wants to stay at Anfield, it’s a bit hard not to worry about his future. “I’ve loved every minute of the five years I’ve been here and I’d love to stay but really the only truth in it is that I’ve not been offered a new contract on any level” Johnson told the press in the lead up to England’s meeting with Denmark later today.
The fullback has just returned from injury, but is currently being played out of position on the left flank to cover for Jose Enrique – and allow youngster Jon Flanagan to flourish in his preferred role. “It is an unnecessary distraction” continued Johnson. “I’m more than happy to sign a new contract and I’d love to stay here for many more years. But at the moment that is not for me to decide because I’ve not been offered anything and I’ve not been told I’m going to be sold. I just have to honour my contract and try not to let it distract me.”
