Former West Bromwich Albion favourite Jonathan Greening has praised the impact of goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and claimed they are ‘in safe hands’ in an interview with the Express & Star.
Albion are currently second in the Championship and along with Leeds United, are favourites to win promotion back to the Premier League.
Johnstone has experienced some high-profile errors this campaign but has also enjoyed some impressive performances and made important saves for the Baggies.
The 27-year-old has kept ten clean sheets this season but he is still yet to win over some of the supporters although Greening has admitted he is a huge fan of the goalkeeper.
“I am always defending Sam on Twitter because I think he is a top keeper,” said Greening who was an integral part of the Albion side that won the Championship in 2008.
“He is a great shot-stopper, a good communicator and his distribution with his feet is very good. But the big thing for me is that he doesn’t make many mistakes.”
“Even the top keepers in the world have shown they have an error in them. Both David de Gea and Ederson have made high profile mistakes this year. But Sam is very consistent. And there have been plenty of games this season when he hasn’t had a lot to do – but when he is needed he produces the goods.”
“I know there are some fans who say negative things. But for me he is terrific, I do wonder if that negativity stems from the fact he had that loan spell at Villa.”
Johnstone has been an important part of the West Brom side this season and has been an ever-present in goal and with him still being of a relatively young age there is plenty of time for him to improve and develop his game further.
