Stoke City defender Phil Bardsley claims that he gets along well with defender Glen Johnson even though both are vying for the same spot in the first-team.
Johnson is currently recovering from a long-term knee injury. He went out of the first-team in the middle of February and it has resulted in Bardsley getting a rare run out in the first-team as a right back. This is his second season at the Britannia stadium and Bardsley has been disappointed with the number of first-team opportunities he has been receiving. Over the course of the entire campaign, he has made only 12 appearances in all competitions.
It is highly unlikely that he will want to remain at the club if the situation persists. However, he has strangely claimed that he is good friends with Johnson and that it is nice for manager to have two players capable of playing in the same position. Mark Hughes and Stoke City are pushing for a Europa League qualification spot this season. The club recently admitted that qualifying for Europe regularly will be a major boost in securing a promising future. Stoke have come a long way from being a Championship club into one that is capable of finishing in the top half regularly.
“We’ve had a good friendship since he came in. It’s healthy for the manager to have two players he can rely on in each position.We push each other and at the minute he’s out injured, which has given me the chance to play.When I played against Aston Villa he was the first to text me to wish me good luck. It just goes to show what kind of characters we have got around the squad and Glen is one of them,” said theformer Manchester United youth team product.