Arsenal youngster, Chiori Johnson, is on trial with Blackburn Rovers as season-long fitness issues continue to keep him out of the u23 side.

Johnson has a total of 40 appearances for the Arsenal youth teams but the right-back last featured for Arsenal’s u23s back in May 2017, when the side faced Manchester United.

Since then, he hasn’t played at all thanks to injury.

Now the defender is back to full fitness, Jeorge Bird reports that he started for Blackburn u23s against Reading on Friday night as part of a trial with the club.

It’s hardly surprising Johnson is starting to look elsewhere for chances. In his absence, Jordi Osei-Tutu has made the right-back position his own.

Osei-Tutu made 12 u23 appearances in the first six months of the campaign, and also received four first-team squad call-ups. The 19-year-old even earned a contract extension with Arsenal in December.

Johnson is a year older, so at this stage he probably doesn’t want to be fighting for a spot in the u23s.

That’s especially true given he needs to be playing regulary to get over his recent injury problems.

If Blackburn Rovers can offer him those regular opportunities, then it makes sense for him to make the move.