Celtic winger Mikey Johnston has come back into the fray this season. The Ireland internationalist has been given continual opportunities amid injuries to some key assets.
He gained a run of starts midway through December and on Boxing Day, he bagged a brace at Dens Park against Dundee. His cameo was reminiscent of how he played as a youngster and since he was coming through the academy, Johnston’s dream has always been to make it at Parkhead.
That is according to former Ireland gaffer Stephen Kenny, who revealed that the 24-year-old was even thinking about breaking into the Celtic team when he was on loan at Vitoria Guimaraes last season: “I know how much Mikey loves it at Celtic”, he said (Football Scotland). “Growing up, that’s all he ever wanted to do. That was his dream. Even when he was playing in Portugal, that’s all he was thinking about.”
A boyhood Celtic fan, Johnston made his first-team debut in Brendan Rodgers’ first spell in charge of the club. Since then, his career has taken many unexpected twists and turns.
Injury and the like haven’t helped the player who now, looks set to fall further down the pecking order amid the signing of Nicolas Kuhn. When the German joins, Rodgers will have the likes of Daizen Maeda, Luis Palma, Kuhn, and Yang all available to him before he gets to Johnston.
He may seem somewhat surplus to requirements when everyone is fit and available, but given his track record and what Kenny has said, Johnston will continually fight for a place at Celtic, at least until his contract expires in the summer of 2026.
