Lincoln City supporters won't be surprised at Spurs and Aston Villa stars' exploits: View | OneFootball

Lincoln City supporters won't be too surprised to see two of their former players thriving in the Premier League

The 2020/21 League One season ultimately ended in heartbreak for Lincoln City as they were defeated in the play-off final by Blackpool, but it was a season that Imps supporters won't forget in a hurry.

After a 16th place finish in their 2019/20 league campaign, their first since being promoted from League Two, nobody would have expected the club to reach the play-offs and be just one game away from the Championship, and their form that season was helped massively by the addition of two quality youngsters on loan.

Brennan Johnson and Morgan Rogers moved to Sincil Bank on loan from Nottingham Forest and Manchester City respectively, and the pair enjoyed huge success in League One in what was their first real taste of senior football.

Just four years on since their moves to Lincoln, the pair are Premier League players, plying their trade for two of the biggest clubs in the country, and for the supporters who were lucky enough to see them in action, that won't come as a surprise.

Lincoln City fans won't be surprised by Morgan Rogers and Brennan Johnson's Premier League exploits

Johnson joined Lincoln on a season-long loan in September 2020, while Rogers joined later that season in the January transfer window, and the pair made a huge impact at Sincil Bank.

It proved an inspired move from Nottingham Forest to loan Johnson out, and he thrived with regular first-team football under his belt, with the 19-year-old becoming a key player, registering double figures for both goals and assists.

In total, Johnson scored 13 times and also registered 14 assists as his side reached the play-off final, an incredible first season of senior football which ultimately led to him playing a key role in Forest's promotion the following season.

Meanwhile, Rogers, who was just 18 at the time, played 28 times, registering six goals and four assists, and it was clear that two players would go on to do big things in the game.

Despite it ending in a play-off final defeat, Johnson and Rogers helped Lincoln City enjoy a successful season under Michael Apppleton, and it was an impressive bit of business from the club to get the duo on loan.

After their impressive spells at Sincil Bank, it looked almost inevitable that Lincoln would be unable to sign the pair again in the summer of 2021, whether that be on loan or on a permanent basis, and they returned to their parent clubs that summer with their heads held high.

Lincon City loan spells have helped propel Morgan Rogers and Brennan Johnson to the Premier League

Johnson became a regular in the Forest side in the 2021/22 season, helping the club win the play-off final, reaching the Premier League, and he was named the EFL Championship Young Player of the Season.

Had he not had the chance to show what he was capable of at Lincoln, his career may have turned out completely differently, and following on from his impressive showings with Forest in the top-flight, he joined Tottenham in the summer of 2023, where he has become a regular under Ange Postecoglou.

Meanwhile, Rogers' path to the top-flight hasn't been quite as straight forward, but he's thrived under Unai Emery at Aston Villa in the early weeks of the 2024/25 campaign.

He spent time on loan at Championship outfit AFC Bournemouth during the 2021/22 season, before joining Blackpool on loan for the second half of the 2022/23 campaign, but he was unable to help the side from Bloomfield Road avoid relegation.

From there, he signed for Middlesbrough on a permanent deal in the summer of 2023, and after just a couple of months at Boro, Premier League side Aston Villa signed him in a deal that perhaps raised eyebrows at first, but it proved an excellent move from Emery's side.

The pair are thriving in the top-flight, and while Johnson is already a full Welsh international with 31 caps to his name, it only seems like a matter of time before Rogers earns an England senior call-up, thanks to his impressive form both in the Premier League and for England's U21 side.