Marvin Johnson's refreshing response as Middlesbrough man lifts the lid on last season's decision and Neil Warnock's impact

His contract at the Riverside was about to expire and there was no guarantee he’d be offered a new deal – it may even have seemed like an unlikely outcome.

After a difficult start to his Boro career, the 29-year-old saw his game time increase under Jonathan Woodgate at the start of last season but still wasn’t a first-team regular.

So when his contract lapsed and he had to choose whether to play the club’s remaining seven fixtures, which had been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, it would have been easy for Johnson to call it a day on Teesside.

Many players, both at Boro and at other Championship clubs, elected not to put their short-term futures at risk, due to the chance of getting injured and jeopardising a potential move elsewhere.

Yet Johnson continued to knuckle down, work hard and tried to prove himself under new manager Neil Warnock - a response which has paid off.

“A lot of peoples’ minds were on getting injuried," said Johnson after signing a new one-year extention on Thursday. “But when the club has given you everything at the start, the least you can do is give four weeks back.”

That sort of attitude helped Johnson become a key player under Warnock, with the 29-year-old starting every game under the Yorkshireman last season, albeit in an unnatural left-back position.

Warnock wanted players who were committed to the cause and was quick to tell Rudy Gestede he could leave early when the striker expressed his reservations.

When asked by the Mail if he had any doubts about signing a short-term waiver to play Boro’s remaining games, Johnson replied: “The closer it was coming to it, I think in your mind you’re thinking if you get injured, what’s your next step? It was a tricky one for players out of contract

“When I was at home and I was thinking about it, it was either I play and look after myself and give what I can, I was part of the team for the whole season so I can’t just bail out at the end, or I could just sit at home and do nothing for three weeks.

“The last thing I wanted was for the club to go down and if I could play a part to keep them up obviously that was perfect.”

Warnock’s appointment with eight games to go certainly gave Johnson a new lease of life, and the wideman is keen to repay the faith which was placed in him last season.

"I’ve loved it since I’ve been here and my family have settled here,” added Johnson. “I don’t feel like I need to go anywhere else.”

"I’ve always known that the gaffer backs me and if I can repay him with the same faith that would be ideal."

That is the sort dedication and attitude Warnock will want as he assembles a squad for the 2020/21 campaign.

It helped earn Johnson a new deal which he seems determined to make the most of.

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