A show of faith from the Sydney Swans has seen premiership defender Alex Johnson sign on for another season.

Johnson, who last played in the 2012 Premiership, has been battling recurring knee issues stemming from a rupture of his anterior cruciate ligament suffered in the ensuing preseason competition.

Setbacks have hindered Johnson’s rehab with the 23-year-old now gearing up for what’s hopefully his final surgery, pending the final tick approval from the surgeon.

With another 12 months under his belt, Johnson said the contract extension has “lifted a weight off the shoulders” and allows him to focus on playing football again.

“I’ve spent five years at this footy club, obviously the last three haven’t been great,” Johnson said.

“The fact the club is standing by me, I’m absolutely over the moon and rapt about it.”

Johnson, despite talk of being lowered to the rookie list to free up spot on the senior list, has been retained on the primary list which, according to the luckless Swan, is another strong show of confidence his rehab will go to plan.

“For me it wasn’t a matter of rookie list or senior list. I didn’t care. I absolutely love this place and wanted to be around for another year at least,” Johnson added.

“The fact they’ve kept me on the senior list is a massive compliment to me. Obviously they’ve got a lot of faith in what’s to come in the next 12 months.”

Johnson will undergo a scan next Tuesday to determine whether his troublesome knee is operatable. If given the all clear, a date will be set for operation number eight.

“It’s looking really good, everything seems to have cleared up and the knee has responded really well to the different treatments,” he said.

“I’m really excited about the surgery. People ask why after the journey I’ve had. I’m just excited at the prospect of getting it done so I can look forward to that come back game.”