Mikey Johnston

MJ: To come back at this time has been amazing!


MJ: "I’m working on my fitness and trying to get back to full match fitness. I need to work hard every day in training to get back to that level again."

MJ: It’s really positive. We are going to take something from the final, and we’ve got big games coming up so we need to get results every week."


MJ: "The lockdown didn’t help. I was having to do a lot of work in the house to get back to full fitness. It was tough but the club supported me and gave me everything I needed."


MJ: There’s always pressure on Celtic teams and we need to be man enough to deal with it. We are taking each game at a time and every game is vital for us."


MJ: I’m 100% fit now. Every player goes through injuries and I need to bounce back. Hopefully I can bring something different to the team and add what we’ve been missing."

 

Massively excited about the prospect of this lad bringing his talent to proceedings.

 

KRIS AJER’S celebrations on Sunday afternoon at Hampden painted a picture of unity at Celtic as the Parkhead side claimed a quadruple treble. If there has been discord and disharmony this term around the club, 21-year-old winger Mikey Johnston has maintained that it has not been within the first-team squad.

“It has never been a question from the inside,” he said. “We have always been together. This is something that has been about in the press but it is not true. Everyone has been together. Things haven’t gone our way this season but we all want to turn it around.”




In order to do that, Johnstone has called on the Parkhead side need to block out the noise and take a single focus into games.

The 21-year-old has had to watch this season largely from the side lines after undergoing surgery for an unusual calf problem. He has remerged into the side and is keen to play a role in dragging Neil Lennon’s team back into the title race where they currently trail Rangers by 16 points.


It has been an odd season so far with Celtic making history at the weekend while also facing pressures rarely witnessed in recent decades at the club.

The celebrations in the wake of Sunday’s Scottish Cup success were muted given the current restrictions as well as the cluttered fixture card.




The celebrations wasn’t much, to be fair,” said Johnston. “We were in the next day and there are all the social distancing protocols so it wasn’t as good as we would really have hoped for.

“It is positive going forward that we have won the game but every single week there is pressure on us, but this group has dealt with pressure tremendously over the last few years.

“We are just focussing on each match at a time. We have been unlucky at stages but we are just focusing on one game at a time and we need to pick up points every week. We are just focusing on ourselves. At the moment we are just taking each game as it comes.”


Johnston’s own focus is ensuring he has a role in the latter stages of the campaign.

“The amount of work you have to put in goes unnoticed, doing the rehab and stuff,” he said. “It was a lot to get myself back and into the team.

“I done my knee at St Johnstone which was a three-month thing but I had an ongoing calf issue so I had to have surgery to get it sorted. It should have been at the start of the virus because of everything that was going on it got delayed a bit.

“I had a problem with the blood flow in my legs and they had to release it. It wasn’t anything drastic in terms of surgery.


“I don’t think it’s very common, but I am glad it’s behind me. I am 100% fit now.

“Every player has injuries and it’s about how you bounce back. You either sink or swim. I am back, working hard and trying to get fit. Hopefully I can bring something different to the team and add a bit of what we’ve been missing.

“I think there is always responsibility playing for Celtic and you need to be big enough and man enough to step up to the challenge. I definitely think I have something to bring to the team.

“There is always pressure on Celtic teams and we need to be man enough to deal with it. Every game is vital to us and I do think we are capable of going on a run.

“We have shown that in the past and it’s the same team. We have shown we are winners and I feel we can win these games.”

 

I * love him.

 

Love the boy. Keep him in the team.

 

He is immense

 

That bit of trickery we've been missing.

 

Pler.

Every time he gets the ball he wants to drive at people. Defenders must be terrified.

Hopefully that’s his injury issues behind him and we can see him become a first pick from here on in.

 

Looked a real threat tonight. We’ve missed wingers big style

 

Imagine my surprise to hear he comes on and makes an impression..

Mikey does bit's Johnston..

 

I’ve said it before, he a cocky, arrogant wee * and I love it. Skips by players like they aren’t there.

 

Needs to get more time

 

His face annoys me.

But I like him.

 

A positive spark.

 

Not lost a step, even with the time out through injury.

Revelation.

 

Want him starting but don't want to rush him back too quickly

 

For me it's got to be him or Rogic behind Eddy & Griff from the next game, Turnbull is an excellent player but he'd be better suited to CM (with Christie being the casualty) next to Soro as opposed to CAM, the huns wouldn't be able to handle this current version of MJ, he's bulked up a lot since he's been away & yet hasn't lost any sharpness or pace, just glides past players, plus he's more experienced so he'll be far better than he was a year ago when he played them.

I love Rogic (hence my username) but I think Mikey would add something very special to the team behind the strikers, Rogic still has his place though & is a great weapon to replace Mikey with later in the game.

 

Is Mikey capable of playing defense-splitting passes, though? I feel he's not really a playmaker.