 The Frenchman called up Johnson to Aston Villa's first team for the first time, where he was an unused substitute in Villa's 2–1 League Cup win over Burnley.In January 2011, the midfielder signed his first professional contract at Villa Park.Johnson had another season of great progress in 2011–12, featuring in all but one of the title-winning reserve team's fixtures as well as making the first team bench for six Premier League games.