He also denies claims he fell out with boss Nigel Clough or deliberately avoided celebrating Stags' equaliser with the other players on Saturday.

Johnson struggled to get a place last season when suffering an injury on the verge of a run of success for the side in his absence, but this season hit 15 goals in 30 games on loan at Walsall.

However, the expected January move to Walsall did not materialise as the Saddlers failed to match Stags' valuation.

Some fans claim Johnson no longer wants to play for the club but he said: “I am pleased to be back and it feels like I have never been away really.

“I have come back in and the lads have been fine and I have just joined in training as usual. It is a clean slate and I just want to crack on.

“It's been a good season so far, scoring 15 goals at Walsall. I have really enjoyed playing and scoring goals.

“It just clicked for me there. When you look back I was scoring goals for Orient in this league and I have full belief I can score goals in this league.

“I am happy to be back here. I am a footballer and I just want to play football. I live locally and I am contracted at the club.

“There was no problem before. I just needed to go and play games which I have done. I have proved my point and now come back.”

He added: “My relationship with the manager is absolutely fine.

“I know some people say I have fallen out with him. But if you look at last year, everything was up against me, the injury and the way the team were paying. You can't do anything about that – that is football sometimes.

“It was probably the most frustrating season of my career. I was doing runs on Sunday mornings making sure I was fit in case my time came. I was professional about it. But the team was doing so well.”

On Saturday Johnson was tying up his boot laces while Stags celebrated Alfie Kilgour's equaliser. But he hit back at suggestions by fans on social media that he was avoiding his team mates.

“My friends sent me a few screen shots on it and it has been blown out of proportion completely,” he said.

“It is complete nonsense, but if people want to keep making up theories then crack on. It is irrelevant to me.

“When Alfie scored I thought he was just going to do a quick loop and run straight back to the halfway line to get on with it.

“I had just got round the defender who stood on my foot and pulled all my laces completely tight. I knew I had to get them sorted straight away.

“Everyone is back at the halfway line before I have even got up from sorting my laces out. The referee has had to come over and speed me up.”

On the January speculation over his future, he said: “I am a footballer at the end of the day so it's always going to be part and parcel of the game. I am glad it's over and I can now get on with it and concentrate on my football.

“I am 30 next month so I am quite used to it. I just try to ignore it and get on with training. It is out of my hands what happens off the pitch so I just get on with my job.

“I was delighted to get out there on Saturday and show what I can do. I was given a good ovation at half-time. I want to run and work hard for the team.”

Johnson came close to scoring during his second half run-out and he said: “I could have had a few on Saturday to be honest and there was one cleared off the line that I was perhaps half a yard off.

“If the ball is going to drop I am going to get there eventually. It won't be long before I am on the end of them now I see where the ball is dropping.

“I would like to get back in the team and get started – and maybe score 15 goals here too and get in the play-offs. I think I have put myself in good stead at the weekend with my performance. We will see where that goes.”

Johnson is currently fourth in the League Two scoring charts and smiled: “Every goalscorer wants to finish to scorer.

“Obviously being at Walsall I wasn't able to play in the two games against Mansfield so I have missed out on two games. And I have missed out on a few games there that were called off while Mansfield have played more games this season, so I am up against it trying to catch them up.

“But I back myself and hopefully I will be up there at the end of the season.

“If you look back at last season I was very unfortunate when I got injured as we were on a bad run before that, though I had scored a few goals.

“After I was injured the team went on a fantastic run and got in the play-offs. Sometimes that happens in football.

“But I have come back now and I think I have a point to prove – I want to prove I can score goals here and hopefully get us over the promotion line this time.

“My first target is getting back into the team and then proving I can score goals here. I believe I can score goals in every game in this league and if I don't score I am very disappointed with myself.”

He added: “The squad depth here for this league is really good. I have to fit back in to the way they have been playing this season, it's not just me coming back and how can they fit me in? I have to try to help them out as well.”

On Saturday's visitors Gillingham, Johnson said: “They have made quite a few signings and been taken over. They will be well up for it to get out of that relegation battle.”

Returning Mansfield Town striker Danny Johnson aiming to prove a point and dismisses claims he is unhappy