The 18-year-old has signed a professional deal with Boro, capping a remarkable rise for the midfielder.
This time last year he was playing for Newbury Forest in the Eastern Counties League Division One South before impressing on trial at Eastbourne Borough in the summer and earning a contract with the National League South side.
He quickly established himself for Borough, who are just three points off the top in National League South, and has been watched extensively by scouts of several clubs so far this season.
West Ham, Ipswich, QPR and AFC Wimbledon are among the clubs understood to have shown an interest, but Boro have won the battle for the signature of the highly-rated teenager.
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He was recommended to Boro by one of Martin Carter’s scouts and the midfielder was then watched closely by Boro’s head of academy recruitment and Chris Jones, head of recruitment.
Boro have a fine past record of plucking untapped talent from the non-league scene, with Isaiah Jones the undoubted leading success story. He made 149 appearances for the first team before being sold to Luton in a deal worth £5m this month. Lewis Wing is another example.
Boro also have a glowing reputation when it comes to their handling of young players. They beat Aston Villa and other clubs to the capture of highly-rated teenage defender Harley Hunt in the summer.
Johnson will initially join with Boro’s Under-21s but boss Michael Carrick regularly has youngsters stepping up to get a taste of first team football when he thinks they’re ready.
