As Celtic’s injury list reduces, Brendan Rodgers will now face the tough task of being able to keep players who don’t get enough minutes on the pitch happy.
Any manager will tell you that it’s a great problem to have but the flip side of that is players can become disillusioned and look to move on to get first-team football.
However, Mikey Johnston is one player that has no intention of moving on. In fact, the Celtic winger was adamant that he was coming back to the club to establish himself as a first-team player, but is he good enough?
Former Celtic hero, Peter Grant, has his doubts. In fact, Grant suspects that there is one player in the side that Johnston will struggle to get in ahead of.
Grant said [The Go Radio Football Show], “What he’s got in his favour is he’s worked with Brendan prior. I think it’s time for him to step up if he’s given the opportunity. He’s got to step up.
“I’ve been impressed with [Luis] Palma and you think to yourself where is he going to play because that’s what I would choose his position to be.”
Johnston was on red-hot form for the Republic of Ireland during the international break. So much so it led to calls from Stephen Kenny for him to get more minutes on the pitch at Celtic.
Unfortunately for the 24-year-old, he is coming up against players who are coming into a real purple patch of form in Palma and Daizen Maeda.
The Irish international has been on the fringes of the Celtic team for a number of years now but just hasn’t been able to make the breakthrough.
For all his trickery and endeavour, injury has curtailed his opportunities at the club but it seems now that he could be about to offer Rodgers another option on the wing.
I would love to see Mikey do it at Celtic, I really would but unfortunately for him, I believe that his ship may have sailed at Parkhead.
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