Celtic have been dealt a blow ahead of their Champions League first round second leg against Sarajevo. Hoops manager Neil Lennon revealed that in-form attacker Mikey Johnston will miss out on the game.
Johnston was taken off injured in the first leg of the tie. He had brought the Hoops back into the game with a thunderbolt equaliser, in a match that ended 3-1 to Celtic.
In the best form of his Celtic career
It is disappointing for the player to miss out on the game. He is arguably in the best form of his Celtic career having excelled in pre-season.
Thankfully, Lennon’s comments seem to indicate that the injury is not a serious one. The fact that he will ‘just miss out’ on the game could be a sign that the injury isn’t severe.
However, so good has Johnston’s form been recently that the Hoops will want the player back in the team as soon as possible.
Manager will absence isn’t a long one
Celtic should have enough to get by Sarajevo without Johnston. However, Lennon will be hoping that Johnston returns for the second round.
Celtic have enough attacking players in the squad to cope with Johnston’s absence for the time being. The likes of Scott Sinclair or Lewis Morgan can fill-in if required.
However, for the sake of his progress in the first-team, Johnston can’t be out injured for long. If he comes back quickly, he could easily regain his place in the side.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
