Brendan Rodgers’ start to his second stint as Celtic manager has not been the smoothest at all. The club have already lost arguably their most creative player in the form of Jota. Alistair Johnston has undergone a surgery as well, which means that he looks set to miss the start of next season. And now, it has emerged that another player will be spending significant time out on the sidelines.
That is none other than Mikey Johnston. The winger was extremely highly-rated while coming through the youth ranks at Celtic and in fact, it was Rodgers who gave him his debut.
Expectations were for Johnston to eventually turn into a 20-goal-a-season player after a bright start in the first-team. That has not happened. Instead, he has struggled to even establish himself at the senior level, largely due to a series of injuries.
Johnston spent the previous season out on loan at Vitoria SC of Portugal. The hope was that he would return this season and get his Celtic career back on track. On the contrary, he has already suffered a major injury blow and looks set to be out of action for months.
Celtic player ruled out for three months with new injury
As reported by Independent.ie, Rodgers said about the situation of Johnston:
"“Sadly for Mikey he is going to be out for a few more months.“He had an issue with his back, sadly, so he’ll probably be out for near-on three months.”"
This pre-season might have been one of Johnston’s last chances to impress at Celtic and get himself at least a regular rotational spot in the team. But now, those hopes might no longer be on the table.
For some players, things just don’t work out, and it is looking like Johnston might be one of them. Despite his unquestionable talent, he simply has not been able to remain fit for any considerable length of time. Nothing should be ruled out, but it is hard to see him making a regular spot for himself in Rodgers’ team.