Reportedly, Michael Johnston of Celtic is faced with the dilemma of staying with the Bhoys or moving somewhere else on a loan move to get regular playing time. The 19-year-old midfielder, who has represented Scotland at youth level recently scored in a pre-season friendly against Standard Liege where Celtic ran out comfortable 4-1 winners.
The 19-year-old has been with the Glaswegian outfit since 2008 and has slowly gone up the youth ranks. Last season he had made his senior team debut and as of now, he has managed 4 appearances for them. Given the talent which the Hoops possess, the youngster will be aware that getting regular game time will be difficult.
One cannot blame Brendan Rodgers as well, as he will look to continue his winning ways at the club. Johnston has been a boyhood Celtic fan and has worked as a ball boy before in a famous encounter against Barcelona in the Champions League in 2012. He recently talked about that experience and said,” I did the ball boy thing. My biggest night was the win over Barcelona when Tony Watt scored. I was in first year at secondary school – KT(Kieran Tierney) was doing it as well that night.”
He further added,” It was usually the older boys who were picked so I was usually left out but I was buzzing when I got that game. I wasn’t picked up by the cameras that night but I did see myself on TV when we played Juventus! It’s a dream to have gone from that to now scoring at Parkhead. I enjoyed the goal, of course – it was my first ever at Celtic Park so I’m delighted to have got off the mark and all my family was here to see it. I should have had a second as well!”
Johnston is a left midfielder but can play in an advanced role as well. He can even play in the no. 10 role, however, he will have to bide his time on the bench before he gets a run out in the first-team. The player is known for his speed and acceleration, though he still needs to work on his game further before he establishes himself in the starting XI.
Read More: Celtic Receive Boost In Pursuit Of Liverpool Youngster: Should Rodgers Go All In To Land Him?
The player is aware that a loan move could be on the cards but he has indicated that he wants to crack it at Celtic Park. It should come as no surprise as he is a boyhood Bhoys fan. Last season, he wasn’t helped by injuries otherwise he could have got more look into the first team. The decision is now up to Brendan Rodgers and sending him on loan somewhere will probably be the right decision for the overall development of the 19-year-old as sitting on the bench at Celtic won’t help him.
