Michael Johnston inks 3-year deal with Celtic after SPFL debut
Michael Johnston made his first appearance in a Scottish Premiership match for Celtic on Saturday afternoon. Just over two hours later it became clear that the youngster has a future at the club.
Within minutes of Celtic’s 4-1 win over St. Johnstone, the 18-year-old inked a three-year contract with the club.
He couldn’t have asked for a better Saturday, as he equated himself well on the pitch in place of Scott Sinclair. Johnston’s debut lasted nearly 60 minutes, and was only replaced due to a scoreline that had little to do with his performance.
Apparently, Johnston couldn’t wait to sign the new deal with the club, as he told the media it happened straight after heading in to the changing room.
More from The Celtic Bhoys
- Celtic handed fresh injury doubt before Feyenoord game
- Celtic’s £40.7 million announcement should scare Rangers
- Brendan Rodgers makes superb claim about returning Celtic player
- BBC pundit makes sensational claim about Celtic hero Kyogo
- Kyogo Furuhashi sends clear message to Celtic doubters
“It was literally straight after the final whistle,” Johnston said following the match. “Once I got changed, I went straight in and got the deal signed. I knew it was happening and it all came on the right day.
“I have committed my future here for a reason. This is where I want to be and hopefully I can get many more appearances under my belt.”
This new deal was part of a dream come true for the lifelong Celtic supporter. Making his debut for the first team was always a goal this season and if this first appearance was any indication it could be one of many to come.
“Making my debut was one of my goals this season and to do that was a delight and to sign the contract just topped it off.
“All my family were there when I signed and it was a special day. They were all delighted for me and they were a bit emotional when I was playing as well. All of them were really happy for me.”
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers had nothing but praise for Johnston and fellow debutant Anthony Ralston.
"“I was delighted with the two young players who made their first starts. You can see the profile of Mikey Johnston, he is very similar to Scott Sinclair – slight, fast, dynamic. With more involvement he will become a bit more prolific and incisive but he was quick and direct and most importantly worked very hard to press the play. I thought Tony [Anthony Ralston] was exceptional. You can see the maturity now in his performance; you would think he’d played 50 games already. He’s a very good defender, very hard to beat, very strong, but he can play football and has the agility to get forward. It was an outstanding first start from him.”"
It was easy to see both fitting in the squad in the future, as Johnston was not shy in attack from early on. He unleashed the first shot of the game and came close to scoring multiple times in the first half.
While he didn’t score, Johnston did have a hand in Celtic’s opening goal. He got loose of a defender down the right side and sent Patrick Roberts a great pass that he slotted home for the 1-0 lead shortly after halftime.
St. Johnstone would answer back nearly immediately and Rodgers made a quicker-than-expected change to Sinclair to solidify the three points.
It shouldn’t be surprising to see the young players taking their place in the squad with confidence. All they had to do was look at some of the players around them on the pitch to know that was possible.
Stuart Armstrong went from afterthought to team captain with Scott Brown serving the first of his two-game suspension. There were also the cases of Patrick Roberts, Kieran Tierney and later in the match Callum McGregor.
All have seen their games rise with the help of Brendan Rodgers and his coaching staff.
It just goes to show what the right set up and the right people in charge can do for a club with real ambitious dreams.