Times have been very hard on the pitch for Celtic in recent months but one player is just happy to be back playing after almost a year out.
For Mikey Johnston, it’s been almost a year since he limped off the pitch against St Johnstone in Perth during a 3-0 away win for Celtic. Perhaps he also recalls he wasn’t very popular at the time with Neil Lennon given the way the injury unfolded.
Johnston took a knock in the game, thought he could play on and let Lennon make a final substitution, before deciding he couldn’t and came off the pitch, leaving the Hoops a man short. The manager’s face clearly showed his displeasure.
As reported by The Scotsman, Lennon also indicated afterwards that the decision to play on likely compounded the injury further. No wonder Johnston is delighted to return after the long injury break that followed the wrath of his manager!
Talking with Celtic TV and as reported by the Glasgow Evening Times Johnston explained further how he has coped with being out injured and how great it is to be back:
"“It makes me so happy being on the pitch and obviously, being out for so long was hard.“There’s a lot of hard work that has to go in to get myself back to where I am so I’m just happy to be back on the pitch with the boys again.“It can be frustrating – especially in the games where we’ve been struggling a bit recently.”"
It’s early days in his return but he made great impact in the Scottish Cup Final, where he scored one of the penalties at the end under immense pressure. There’s very likely a lot more to come from the 21-year-old. He is widely regarded as one of the club’s most skilful players and many believed that he was set for a breakout season last time around before it was derailed.
More from Celtic FC News
- 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
He’ll hopefully get the benefit from the Dubai training camp and be back buzzing and ready to go. The timing may be controversial but the hard work is there with some tough training sessions taking place:
"“They’ve been hard and the heat definitely makes it a lot harder.“The sessions have been good though – good, competitive and the boys have been working really hard.”"
Like many of us, Johnston may not have had an ideal time in 2020 but he is back now and adds some healthy depth when it comes to competition for places. His skill and hard work should see a great contribution over the weeks ahead.