Celtic winger Mikey Johnston could return vs Livingston after 2 months out

By David Walton

September 18, 2021

Celtic winger Mikey Johnston could return to action against Livingston tomorrow after two months out.

The Lennoxtown academy graduate has been sidelined since taking a nasty injury knock against Bristol City in pre-season. Johnston had been impressing in the early days of Ange Postecoglou’s tenure, but the injury set him back massively.

The tricky wide-man looked like seizing the left-wing spot as his own. However, when he returns, he’ll see solid competition in Benfica man Jota.

But all that matters is that he’s back fit and firing. And after returning to full training in recent days, Postecoglou believes Mikey could make his return to the side against David Martindale’s Livi.

As quoted by the Scottish Sun, Postecoglou said: “We’ll see how Callum McGregor is, but we’re optimistic he’ll be available.

“Mikey Johnston isn’t too far off, either. I’d expect him maybe to be involved on Sunday. It would be nice to be able to throw in some more attacking options and some fresh legs, which we don’t have at the moment.”

Mikey Johnston Celtic return comes at the best possible time

It’s fair to say Postecoglou has had to go to the well with the same core group of players this season. Having the likes of Johnston and Karamoko Dembele out, for example, has been a massive blow with regards to squad rotation.

Even so, Celtic have managed to impress with their ability to hurt the opposition going forward. Even against Real Betis on Thursday night, Celtic netted on three occasions despite the lack of options they have in forward areas at the moment.

The return of Johnston, then, couldn’t have come at a better time. With Celtic still firing in the final third, Mikey will prove to be a brilliant alternative option with his quick feet.

It’s actually a bigger year for Johnston than many might realise too. With Mohamed Elyounoussi away, this is his big chance to prove himself as the number one left-winger at Celtic. That may look tricky at face value with the arrival of Jota, but it’s the goal Johnston must set himself this term.

Whether Postecoglou actually risks the 22-year-old on Livingston’s plastic surface remains to be seen. The last thing we need is to aggravate the injury Johnston had in the first place.

But hearing he’s on the mend at such a busy time of the campaign is great news. With such a lengthy injury list in Betis, it looks as though it could be about to whittle down quickly.

In other news, Luca Connell’s Queen’s Park loan has Celtic supporters asking questions