Celtic opted to loan out Mikey Johnston for the rest of the campaign after the 24-year-old struggled to break into the first-team plans at Parkhead.
The Republic of Ireland international was a rotational option in the first portion of this term under Brendan Rodgers, registering two goals and two assists in 12 appearances [Transfermarkt].
Nevertheless, Rodgers indicated last year that the Glasgow-born man needed to add a greater ‘robustness’ to his game amid his attempts to nail down a starting position at the Bhoys.
Despite acknowledging Johnston has real talent, the former Liverpool manager also touched on his mentality and physical bravery, two vital qualities required to make the grade at Celtic.
Fast forward to February, the Irishman is now on loan at West Bromwich Albion, where he will hope to make a lasting impact between now and May.
Last week, he notched his maiden goal for the club in a 2-0 victory over Cardiff City at the Hawthorns Stadium, sweeping home from close range to give his side the lead inside the first minute.
Baggies manager Carlos Corberan gave Johnston some glowing praise post-match, stating: “Mikey is a player that offers us a lot of possibilities. He is a winger who can play wider than he played today, but at the same time, he can play more as a playmaker..”
BBC pundit stunned by on-loan Celtic winger Mikey Johnston
Johnston was in action for West Brom last night in their eventual 3-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle at Home Park.
In the 76th minute, the on-loan Celtic man picked up possession on the left flank, jinking inside past his marker before unleashing an excellent curled strike into the top corner past former teammate Conor Hazard.
Commentating on BBC Radio WM, West Brom icon Tony Brown was stunned by Johnston’s ‘unstoppable’ goal, stating: “What a corker – what a brilliant strike.”
“He’s done everything right; he’s got it on the left-hand side, he’s come into the box, he’s got it on his right foot, and he’s released an unstoppable strike straight in the top corner. No chance for the Plymouth goalkeeper. Brilliant play from Johnston, absolutely brilliant. Unbelievable.”
Mikey Johnston’s Celtic future is still up in the air
One of the main frustrations over the last few weeks at Celtic has been the inconsistency of our wing play, having a knock-on effect of stifling the production of opportunities across the final third.
Taking last Saturday as an example, the Bhoys ended up fashioning an inferior amount of big chances compared to visitors Kilmarnock. Of course, the wingers aren’t solely to blame for this; however, there is no doubt they should be collectively performing at a higher level.
Liel Abada’s complicated situation and Nicolas Kuhn’s limited involvement at Parkhead may beg the question of why Johnston was allowed to leave the building in the January transfer window.
The loanee can drive at opposition backlines; however, his end product has always been a subject of conversation within his 92 appearances in green and white, which have yielded 12 goals and 13 assists, per Transfermarkt.
Johnston is showing some early signs of consistency at West Brom, though it is unclear where his future stands in Glasgow.
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