Stoke City midfielder Daniel Johnson looks unlikely to make a starting return to Preston North End this weekend.
PNE host Stoke in the Championship this weekend with plenty of intrigue in this one.
North End boss Ryan Lowe will be coming up against his old assistant Steven Schumacher once again, having already beaten him once this season.
PNE beat Schumacher’s Plymouth Argyle 2-1 back in September, months before Schumacher left for the Stoke job.
The man Schumacher replaced was Alex Neil, the former PNE boss, and the Scot had brought some of his old North End players to Stoke.
Ben Pearson was one of them, but we already know that he won’t be playing having picked up a red card at Leeds United in midweek.
Pearson will miss the game through suspension but it’s a different case for Daniel Johnson…
Daniel Johnson struggling at Stoke City
Johnson left PNE at the end of last season as his contract came to an end.
The Jamaican had become a fan favourite at Deepdale having arrived from Aston Villa way, way back in January 2015.
After more than eight years at the club, ‘DJ’ decided that it was time to go and reunited with former boss Neil at Stoke.
Most would have expected Johnson to thrive having played so well for North End, but his season at Stoke has been tricky.
Johnson has started 19 Championship games, recording two goals and two assists along the way.
Fans have been unimpressed with Johnson’s performances and a saved penalty against Blackburn Rovers in February really ramped up the criticism.
In fact, Johnson hasn’t made an appearance for Stoke since that defeat.
Johnson hasn’t even been named in the squad, being left out against Queens Park Rangers, Coventry City, Cardiff City, Middlesbrough and Leeds United.
It therefore seems unlikely that Schumacher would suddenly bring Johnson back into the side against PNE, though maybe Pearson’s red card will bring him back into the squad.
Johnson was a superb servant for North End and seeing him struggle at Stoke is tough to watch, especially now he isn’t even getting a game.
The move just hasn’t really worked for Johnson, but if he is at Deepdale this weekend, he will surely receive a warm reception from the North End fans who loved him for many years.