Mikey Johnston’s Celtic return provides us with terrific depth

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Mikey Johnston’s return to the Celtic bench on Saturday was a sight to behold.

The Hoops winger hasn’t been seen since our terrific 2-0 win at Ibrox back in September. He assisted Odsonne Edouard that day and then didn’t manage to play for the club for a full two months.

But on Saturday against Hibernian in the Betfred Cup semi-final, Johnston was an unused substitute as he returned to contention. It was a welcome sight after what’s been a couple of months of experimentation down the left.

However, within the time-frame that Johnston has been out, Mohamed Elyounoussi has been making his mark in the position. 10 appearances, seven goals, and three assists. His stats read tremendously well over the last month or so.

But Mikey shouldn’t be disheartened by Mo’s form during his time out. He’ll get his chance over the course of this month and next. Before the winter break, Celtic will have nine games in December to negotiate. There will be plenty of game-time to go around.

However, from a Celtic perspective, this is tremendous news given how much depth we now have at left-mid.

When was the last time we were as strong in the position?

Elyounoussi and Johnston would be strong enough. However, the likes of Scott Sinclair and Marian Shved can also play there if asked. It’s a terrific amount of quality in depth that we currently have after Johnston’s return.

Unless disaster strikes, there won’t be a game between now and the end of the season where we’re struggling for someone to cover the position. Neil Lennon has managed to seriously build some fine quality down the left side.

Of course, some will see more game-time than others. Elyounoussi, for example, can’t be dropped anytime soon after his sensational form. Johnston, however, had also rattled home three goals before he had to be sidelined. He was hardly struggling for form himself.

The little winger was arguably Celtic’s best player at the start of the season too. His return is a colossal boost for us as we enter the busiest time of the football season.

Now, we have around four or five genuine options at left-wing. Some have more quality than others of course, but all have proven they can hurt teams in Scotland.

Seeing Mikey back was terrific for the club. Hopefully he can kick on and look to challenge Mo for the spot. And if you’re Lenny, you surely can’t wait to see what that battle brings out in both players.