Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou on Brennan Johnson

Striker Brennan Johnson can make a “significant contribution” to Tottenham Hotspur if he can get through the difficult period, head coach Ange Postecoglou says.

The 23-year-old scored the winning goal for Spurs in the closing stages of their Carabao Cup victory over Championship club Coventry City on Wednesday, but celebrated with only a subdued smile.

The goal came after Johnson reportedly deactivated his Instagram account amid criticism following the derby defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.

“I already mentioned on Tuesday that Brennan works hard and as an attacking player you are always judged on certain points,” said Postecoglou.

“I said, if he gets through this period and just stays positive and plays the way he can, he can make a significant contribution to us and credit to him. He scored a beautiful goal.”

Johnson has scored six goals since joining Tottenham from Nottingham Forest in September for a fee of over £45million, with Postecoglou saying Johnson is “probably lacking a bit of confidence”.

On Wednesday, the Tottenham manager said he found it “sad” that insults on social media had become so common.

“I think it’s horrible that we’ve just normalized all those things,” the 59-year-old added.

Before moving to Tottenham Hotspur, the Wales player scored 29 goals and provided 12 assists in 108 games for Forest.