Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has revealed that he intends to prove to the doubters that he can be an academic by gaining a maths degree.

The 28-year-old England international, who is halfway through the second year of an Open University course, has insisted that he enjoys solving equations.

"I was good at maths at school but I didn't really think of anything else but football," the Daily Mail quotes Johnson as saying.

"My teachers used to say, 'You ain't going to achieve anything'. So I was thinking, 'I'll show you'. The last thing they'd expect me to do is a maths degree. But anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it."

Meanwhile, Johnson netted the first goal in Liverpool's 3-2 win over West Ham United yesterday.