Toffees move may prove sweet for Johnson

ANDREW JOHNSON picked Everton for his return to the Barclays Premiership believing that it will boost his England career.

The 25-year-old, Everton’s record £8.6 million signing from Crystal Palace, took time off from duty on stand-by with England’s World Cup squad to seal his own return to the big time.

Johnson is fully aware that while he has been saying hello to a new career on Merseyside, it will probably be goodbye to England and the World Cup.

If Wayne Rooney does pull out of the squad, it is expected it will be Jermain Defoe who grabs the final striking role for the finals.

That eats away at Johnson.

“Coming here will improve my international chances. It helps. Playing alongside established Premiership players can only benefit me. Big players will help me. If I can start scoring goals in the top flight it can only help my England ambitions,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say being in the Championship completely stopped my England career, because I was involved in a couple of squads. But I was always only on the fringe. I scored 17 goals last season and if I could have scored 10 of those in the Premier League I would be on the plane to Germany.”

Everton manager David Moyes revealed Johnson would not be his last big summer signing.

“We may have something in a couple of days time,” said Moyes.

That looks likely to be Wolves defender Joleon Lescott in a £5.5 million deal.

They had been chasing Chelsea’s Robert Huth, but it is believed Middlesbrough have made the German a massive wages offer, far ahead of anything Everton could manage.

For the time being, Moyes is just happy to have got Johnson, adding: “We tried for him a year ago and went back again. He wanted to come to us and that has been a real boost.”

Johnson has left behind a club in turmoil, with the wrangle between chairman Simon Jordan and former boss Iain Dowie now becoming a matter for the courts.

For Johnson it appears a relief to be back in the top flight. “It was very hard in the Championship, mentally hard. A lot of people thought I was going to leave at the end of the season when Palace were relegated, but I was a professional and got my head round it and worked for the team.

“I had some injuries last season and that didn’t help. It’s such a hard place to play, everyone expected Palace to get straight back up but it doesn’t work like that.”