Celtic winger Mikey Johnston could be heading to Aberdeen in the January transfer window in a temporary move, the Daily Record reports.
The report states that Mikey is one of several players on a shortlist for the Dons as manager Stephen Glass looks to bolster his attacking options.
It’s said in the Record that Johnston made his way into their plans after a glowing recommendation by former Celtic teammate Scott Brown.
However, it’s also stated that Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou could be hesitant to allow Johnston to go. Especially considering how light the Hoops are down the left flank without him.
Johnston has made 18 appearances under Ange this season, but only 4 have come from the starting line-up [Transfermarkt]. A nasty pre-season injury did curtail his progress at the beginning under the new manager.
Postecoglou has already tipped Johnston to make a “huge impact” under him this season [Scottish Sun]. However, with game-time clearly limited, it’ll be interesting to see how Celtic would react to any approach.
Ange Postecoglou will likely want Mikey Johnston to stay where he is
The truth is that Johnston remains an exciting talent. Fans may be frustrated with his lack of progress in recent months. But he still has all of the tools to be a success here.
Where Mikey is seriously struggling is with his final ball. That’s been the main reason fans have gotten so frustrated with him in recent years. There’s been no improvement on it, and that’s carried into this season where he’s continued to be wasteful.
He only has 1 assist and 0 goals in his 18 outings so far this term. Even if the vast majority have been cameo roles, he’ll know that isn’t good enough. But a move to Aberdeen? You would be surprised if Postecoglou allowed it.
Sure, there would be value in a potential loan move between now and the end of the season. But you would imagine Aberdeen would want to insert an option to buy for when the loan deal is over. That would halt them suffering the way they did when Ryan Christie headed back to Parkhead after 18 months in the Granite City.
Johnston, of course, could do with the first-team minutes. With Jota and Daizen Maeda ahead of him in the pecking order, it remains to be seen just how often he truly plays here between now and the summer. But Ange could easily want to keep that option.
All eyes on what Celtic do if an approach really is made. It would say a lot about how they view Mikey too.
In other news, “Most disappointed I’ve seen him”; BBC pundit highlights Celtic boss’ reaction to McGregor injury
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