![Celtic's Greek Australian head coach Ange Postecoglou attends a press conference at Celtic Park in Glasgow on October 24, 2022, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League Group F football match against Shakhtar Donetsk. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by ANDY BUCHANAN has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Celtic's Greek Australian head coach Ange Postecoglou] instead of [Celtic's English goalkeeper Joe Hart ]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/9dce004c691f42eb863841de1e075dd817c90867bff36d432d1784948871668a.jpg "Celtic's Greek Australian head coach Ange Postecoglou attends a press conference at Celtic Park in Glasgow on October 24, 2022, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League Group F football match against Shakhtar Donetsk. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by ANDY BUCHANAN has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Celtic's Greek Australian head coach Ange Postecoglou] instead of [Celtic's English goalkeeper Joe Hart ]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)")
Celtic have a stacked squad at this point of time as they have continuously strengthened their ranks during the time of Ange Postecoglou as manager. They have gotten the rewards for that on the pitch as well, as the club have already won three trophies during the Australian’s time at Parkhead and more could be added to the cabinet by the time this season comes to an end.
Thus, the deep roster has certainly helped Celtic. But at the same time, it also means that there have been quite a few players who have not gotten a lot of playing time.
One player who falls under that category is Mikey Johnston. And as a result, he was sent out on loan to Portuguese club, Vitoria SC, in the summer. He has impressed there and recently made his debut for the Republic of Ireland national team as well.
Thus, many fans are excited to see Johnston in a Celtic jersey again. But as reported by Football Insider, Frank McAvennie said regarding the matter:
"“[Daizen] Maeda and Jota are in front of him, even [Liel] Abada and [James] Forrest as well as [Sead] Haksabanovic.“There are way too many players now I would be surprised if he comes back. Why would you want to come back?“He will have that feeling now of training all week to play at the weekend, he did not get that at Celtic so I do not think he would want to go back to that.“It is great to play for Celtic but you have got to get a game. He is not going to get enough game time.“"
Celtic player tipped to not return to Parkhead this summer
Johnston was one of the most highly rated players at Celtic while coming through the ranks at Celtic. And while easy to forget now, he did make a bright start to life in the senior team as well.
Thus, hopes were that he would develop into a 20-goal-a-season winger. That has not happened till now though, as his Parkhead career was derailed due to a number of injuries.
The good news is that he is now fit once again and seems to have put his injury problems behind him. Thus, it might be the right idea to give a talent like Johnston another chance at Celtic. He is still just 23 years of age and should have a long career ahead of himself.