Coufal was boss David Moyes’ first choice at right-back at the start of the season but then had to spend a spell on the sidelines owing to injury.
Johnson, who deputised for the Czech, managed to keep him out of the starting eleven for a clutch of games with a string of strong performances.
Coufal has admitted that there was no reason for Moyes to put him back in the starting eleven immediately after he was fit to play as Johnson was performing well in the Hammers backline.
The 29-year-old made his second Premier League start since returning from injury at the weekend in West Ham’s 3-2 win over Chelsea and revealed that he is now hoping to hold down the right-back position for the long run.
“I had an injury so it is normal in football”, Coufal told Standard Sport.
“Ben did well so it wasn’t any reason to change it.
“We won every game that I missed so there was no reason to change it.
“Now I am back and I hope for a long time.”
Johnson left the field against Chelsea after a hamstring complaint, which could mean Coufal will have less competition for places in West Ham’s upcoming games.
