What has happened to Mikey Johnston since Celtic exit, as Ireland star accused of going ‘Awol’

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There was so much promise and expectations on Mikey Johnston’s shoulders when he was coming through at Celtic.

In Brendan Rodgers’ first spell, Johnston was making a name for himself in Celtic’s academy and he was seen as a future first-team star.

But, by the time Rodgers returned to Parkhead, life wasn’t going as smoothly as Johnston wanted it to and he couldn’t break into the first-team.

One thing the 25-year-old can’t argue about is that he was handed the chances, but that consistency or level of performance wasn’t there.

That road then led to Johnston securing a loan move to West Brom last January, where he started scoring goals for fun and it eventually led him to securing a permanent transfer to the Hawthorns.

In truth, all parties, including Celtic and the player were happy with this move and it was the best for all, but how has Johnston got on at West Brom since leaving the pressure cooker of the champions of Scotland?

Mikey Johnston accused of going ‘AWOL’ at West Brom after Celtic exit

Nothing much has changed at West Brom since last season, with the Midlands side still pushing for promotion, but what has changed is Johnston’s form.

In his first spell with WBA, he netted seven goals, and many of them were wonder goals, but he has yet to find the back of the net since returning to the club this summer.

Ex-Arsenal player Adrian Clarke was pretty forthright in his thoughts involving Johnston in October and how he has gone ‘AWOL’, as he told the EFL Podcast.

“It’s guys like Mikey Johnston and Grady Diangana who have been red-hot at certain times for West Brom,” said Clarke.

“They have kind of gone AWOL. They are missing in action. They need to get a little bit more out of them. One goal in five matches is what West Brom have scored. Not good.”

Johnston’s numbers post-Celtic

With Johnston out of the door at Celtic, the man who effectively replaced him is Nicolas Kuhn.

Kuhn is the best player in Scotland and it proves that bit of business by the club has been beyond outstanding.

But whilst Kuhn shines in Celtic colours, it’s a different story for Johnston, with the player just assisting once from his 11 appearances and being rated 6.31 for his performances by WhoScored.