‘Elliott Bennett is one of my best friends in football’ – Johnson thrilled to join former City team-mate at Blackburn

Bradley Johnson is thrilled to be linking up with former Norwich City team-mate Elliott Bennett after signing for Blackburn Rovers on a two-year deal.

Johnson joined Norwich in the same transfer window as Bennett back in the summer of 2011, joining Paul Lambert's squad and proving popular players with Canaries fans.

Bennett, 30, has been at Blackburn since joining from Norwich in a deal worth around £250,000 in January 2016 and has made over 140 appearances for Rovers.

He's joined by Johnson, 32, whose contract expired at beaten play-off finalists Derby this summer - who was voted Player of the Season by City fans after a pivotal role in the play-off glory of 2014-15, only to be surprisingly sold for around £8m in September 2015.

"Elliott Bennett is one of my best friends in football and is someone who has been here for a long time," Johnson told Blackburn's website. "As soon as he found out there was interest he was on the phone straight away.

"We signed together at Norwich eight years ago and have been good friends ever since. He is the godfather to one of my sons.

"We've spoke near enough every week for the past nine years and have played against each other plenty of times. Now I'm back with him I'm hopeful of many more great games playing alongside him.

"It's gone full circle. We started together at Norwich with the dream of playing in the Premier League together. We're a little older now but we're back again and are keen to finish our careers here on a high."