Disgraced footballer Adam Johnson tells inmates at South Yorkshire prison ex-club will be 'desperate' for his services

Disgraced footballer Adam Johnson has reportedly told inmates at a South Yorkshire prison he expects to resume his professional career as early as next year.

By The Newsroom

Published 7th Jan 2018, 09:40 BST

Updated 7th Jan 2018, 09:45 BST

The 30-year-old, who was jailed for six years in 2016 for grooming and engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl, is currently serving his time at HMP Moorland near Doncaster.

He has reportedly been showing off his football skills to fellow convicts there and boasting that he expects to leave prison in 2019 and return to top-level football.

The Daily Star Sunday claims the ex-England and Manchester City Star believes he is still good enough to rejoin one of his other former clubs, Sunderland, according to a prison source.

The source reportedly told the paper how Johnson claimed Sunderland were struggling so badly they would be 'desperate' for a player of his quality.

The shamed star reportedly uses a full-sized all-weather football pitch at HMP Moorland and spends several hours a week training in the prison gym.