Mikey Johnston is performing brilliantly while on loan at West Bromwich Albion, and Brendan Rodgers has commended him for it. The winger will have a meeting with Rodgers in the summer to decide whether or not to stay at Celtic.
Johnston, a Republic of Ireland international who has scored six goals in just ten games for the Baggies in The Championship, has greatly impressed Rodgers.
Throughout his career, Johnston has found it difficult to maintain this level of consistency while wearing a Celtic jersey. Although Rodgers has never questioned the 24-year-old’s talent, he did imply that the “different weight of shirt” might have played a role in Johnston’s inability to establish himself as a regular member of the starting lineup.
“Brilliant,” was Rodgers’ response when asked about his assessment of Johnston’s recent performance against West Brom. I’ve mentioned Mikey’s talent previously.
He’s been here for a while. As you leave this place, the shirt will weigh different. Mikey, though, has always displayed his talent.
“He needed to get a run of games since he has had a lot of injuries over the past few years. When he was wanting to go on loan in the summer, I spoke with him and told him to stay and focus on getting his training in order because he hadn’t had a consistent training period and didn’t seem to mind playing games.
“He was able to do that, then he featured in some games for us, and once he trained and featured it was then about getting him game time. He has gone and done fantastic and shown the talent everyone knows he has.
“Hopefully he continues with that and then we can look at it again in the summer.
At the age of 24, he is no longer a baby; rather, he is a boy who enjoys playing. You were able to witness his immense talent during the Championship. He’s scored some incredible goals, but that’s to be expected. He possesses the talent, as you can tell from his training.
It all comes down to being available, fit, and consistent. He has demonstrated that thus far in the season, and ideally he keeps doing so at West Brom through to the finish.
