It may be the case that neither Mikey Johnston nor David Turnbull have been capped yet, but they must be setting their sights on breaking into the Scotland squad for Euro 2020 regardless.
Hear me out.
Yes, neither of them played a part in the qualification campaign, so there’s perhaps a loyalty factor there. However, Scotland boss Steve Clarke didn’t exactly stick by the players that hauled him back from oblivion last year against Cyprus and Kazakhstan. Just ask Greg Taylor, who’s barely featured since bagging two assists in two games for him.
But back to Johnston and Turnbull. The main reason they’re nowhere near things with Scotland at the moment is simple – they aren’t playing regularly for Celtic whatsoever.
All of the Scottish players who feature consistently for Neil Lennon’s side gets called up. Leigh Griffiths is back in the fold after bursting back onto the scene, whilst Callum McGregor, Ryan Christie, and Taylor have been in the squads. Had James Forrest been fit and had Scott Brown not retired from the international scene, they both in all likelihood would’ve been in too.
Granted, the chances of Johnston and Turnbull actually getting into Clarke’s starting XI is beyond hopeful. In fact, it’s probably manic to even suggest it. But they can very much put themselves into the thinking for the Euro squad as a whole.
Cards on the table – Scotland don’t have a left-winger and could urgently do with Johnston finding form. He is perhaps the most skillful player in Scottish football. Just ask Chris Jullien and Jeremie Frimpong, who both bigged him up in a recent club video posted on Twitter.
Johnston has proven himself before
He starred in big matches for the club last term against the likes of Sarajevo, AIK, and Rangers (x2) before his long-term ligament injury. Now, he’s back in training, and if he can get himself back up to speed then there’s no reason for Clarke not to give him a chance before the summr. He can easily be Scotland’s secret weapon.
A quick return for Johnston and he should be eyeing a spot in the squad for any future friendlies Scotland have between now and the Euros. That’s where the Celtic man will need to make an impression, and he’s more than capable of doing it.
Nobody has managed to nail down Scotland’s left-wing role for themselves, and Johnston could easily work as a good partner for Andy Robertson down the left. First off, he needs to get himself back into the Celtic team.
As for Turnbull, the Celtic supporters have been asking for more game-time for him for a long time. He’s highly-valued by so many in Scotland and has proven he can be a serious goal threat from midfield. Remember, this is a midfielder who managed 16 goals in 41 games for Motherwell (Transfermarkt).
He has all the attributes to play alongside McGregor/Brown in the middle of the park on a consistent basis. It’s only a matter of time before he gets his chance as he continues to wait on the sidelines.
There’s still plenty of time between now and the summer. Should Johnston and Turnbull have a big 2021 and play key roles in securing Celtic 10-in-a-row, then they can’t just be ignored by Clarke. He’s shown in the past that he’ll bring in any performing Celtic stars if they’re fit and firing for the Hoops.
That’s a massive motivation for both of your young Scottish hopefuls. Hopefully, it clicks them into an extra gear for us as the prospect of reaching Scotland’s first major finals in 22 years awaits as a potential reward.
In other news, Jackie McNamara believes Celtic worked on one particular deal last summer for “at least” six months.
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