Marvin Johnson, who featured for City as a trialist during pre-season, has returned to Solihull Moors on a short-term contract.
The experienced wing-back is back at the club where his senior career began, having subsequently played in the Scottish Premiership and Championship. Solihull confirmed his return on social media, adding another familiar name to the list of players finding clubs after spending part of the summer with us.
Johnson featured in our friendly at Doncaster Rovers, when six trialists were included in an unusual City side. He lined up alongside fellow trialists Max Clark, Matt Smith, Mickel Miller, Fejiri Okenabirhie and Evan Khouri, with the Imps winning 1-0.
Despite that appearance, his spell with us did not result in a contract, as he was really there to help us get through the games. He now heads back to familiar surroundings, bringing considerable experience from a career which took him from non-league football to promotion-winning squads at both Sheffield clubs.
After his first spell with Solihull, Johnson played for Romulus before establishing himself at Kidderminster Harriers. His performances earned him a move to Motherwell in 2015, where he helped secure their Scottish Premiership survival, before Oxford United paid a reported club-record fee for him the following year.
He reached the EFL Trophy final with Oxford before joining Middlesbrough in a deal reportedly worth around £2.5 million. Johnson made more than 100 appearances for Boro and spent the 2018/19 season on loan at Sheffield United as they secured promotion to the Premier League.
His longest Football League spell came at Sheffield Wednesday, where he made 169 appearances across four seasons. He helped the Owls win promotion through the League One play-offs in 2023 and continued to feature for them in the Championship.
Johnson’s most recent competitive spell was with Port Vale, whom he joined on a short-term deal in October 2025. He left in January when that agreement expired, having made five league appearances, before his summer outing in City colours.
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