Mikey Johnston’s transfer speculation certainly doesn’t seem to be stopping the player’s focus on breaking through at Parkhead.
Late last month, the youngster was linked with a shock move to Panathinaikos in Greece. According to the Scottish Sun, the Greek giants watched Johnston in May’s Scottish Cup final. They also stated that clubs in both Scotland and England had been tracking the youngster too.
That Scottish Cup final win followed a 2-1 trophy day success over Hearts in which Johnston bagged a brace. It capped off a breakthrough season in which he managed to make 23 appearances and notched five goals.
And, speaking to Celtic TV, there was no hint of any sort of move away from the club anytime soon.
“It’s crucial to have a good start to set you up for the season and to show that I can play at a high level and get into the team. I had a good summer, and I’ve come in feeling sharp so it’s been good. I’ve enjoyed it, and I’m just trying to keep myself as sharp as possible.
“The boys have been enjoying training. It’s hard but it is what it is. It’s pre-season, it’s not always going to be enjoyable, but it’s just about getting fit.
“The first qualifier is in Bosnia. I think it’s a hot climate there as well so it is what it is. Last year we got Greece and that could happen again this year. So it’s just setting you up for the season (the heat in pre-season). I’m just wanting to break into the team, keep working hard, and keep getting these opportunities.”
Johnston’s transfer speculation not fazing him
You could be forgiven for thinking there hasn’t been any speculation over Johnston’s future at all. He seems incredibly relaxed and only seems to have his focus on making sure he gets more opportunities with Celtic this season.
What it also probably confirms is that if any approaches have come in for him, they’ve been rejected. There have been no reports of an official offer, but it seems as though Celtic want him to remain at Parkhead.
It’s perhaps a sign from the club that they plan on keeping the youngster too. They could’ve interviewed anyone else from the pre-season training camp and published it today. Putting Johnston out there could be a sign that he’s in for a big season this year.
The Scottish Sun stated in the Panathinaikos link that Lennon was a big fan of Johnston. And that’s also been backed up given the fact he’s played 45 minutes in both of Celtic’s first two pre-season games. Johnston has also been on target with a couple of goals, so his impact is already being felt even this early on.
The breakthrough youngster didn’t feature in this morning’s game against St Gallen’s under-21s. That could point to him getting more game-time against the St Gallen first-team later on in our final pre-season friendly of the summer camp.
Celtic will be looking to make it three wins out of three from the trip to Austria and Switzerland. And if Johnston puts in another eye-catching display, he may be booking his place in the first-team for the Champions League qualifier against Sarajevo.
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