The star player for the Houston Rockets is keen to avoid the impending January wipeout at Parkhead.
Even though Mikey Johnston is aware that time is running out, he isn’t ready to give up on his goal of succeeding at Celtic.
Due to a string of injuries, the Hoops winger’s early potential was dashed, and he spent the previous season on loan in Portugal. Manager Brendan Rodgers had a little hand in the 24-year-old’s eruption into the team during his first stint in command, and he brought him in against Hibs last month.
Johnston has been placed back on the bench in recent weeks, and the manager issued a dire warning, saying that fringe players must stand up because numerous players may be leaving in January. The attacker, who is practicing with the Ireland team ahead of tomorrow’s match against Holland, has heeded the advise and promised to work extremely hard to maintain his Celtic status and fulfill his goal of playing in the Champions League. He stated. It hasn’t occurred yet. I hope it does. Playing for Celtic in the Champions League was one of my biggest dreams.
“It’s sort of what I wanted to do as a boy so hopefully it happens but if it doesn’t it’s not the end of the world. No player is going to be happy when they’re not playing. Ultimately, it’s up to me and I need to try and force my way into that team. I have until January to do that and I will try and give it everything to do that but we just have to see what happens.
“I’ve not spoken to the manager much in the last sort of month, we’ve had chats here and there. It’s tough decisions for the manager to make and ultimately it’s up to me.”
Johnston relishes international duty but he knows his chances of being involved with Ireland get hit by his lack of game time with Celtic. The first aim feeds the second, and that’s given him added incentive to force his way in to Rodgers’s side.
The door is open for the wide man with Liel Abada and Daizen Maeda both facing lengthy spells on the sidelines. But it’s up to him to kick it down.
Johnston said: “I want to be involved in Irish camps. I want to play for Ireland. Realistically, if I’m not playing I won’t be getting picked unless I go out and do really well. It makes it a lot harder.
“I’m definitely going to have to force my way into the (Celtic) team or see what happens. I’m not sure what’s going to happen in January, but I do want to play.
“I’m not going to say anything bad about Celtic and I would for it to happen at Celtic. I would love to play. But I’m 24 now as well and I want to play every game.
“I hope I get some game time here. It does help when the manager (Stephen Kenny) has shown faith in me. He has given me a lot of confidence to go out and play the way I want to and i want to do that again.
“Obviously if I can make an impact at international level then I should be able to do that at club level. As you say, it’s a big stage and if I can show that then all the better.”
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers controls the ball during the cinch Premiership match at Celtic Park, Glasgow. Picture date: Sunday November 12, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Celtic. Photo credit should read: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.
Johnston is out to make up for lost time. It seems like only yesterday he was Scottish football’s next big thing. There was a tug of war for his services between Republic of Ireland and Scotland and he seemed destined to be a huge star for the Hoops.
But it’s been a period of frustration instead with fresh starts followed by crushing disappointments. When Ange Postecoglou arrived there was another new dawn – but he broke down in pre-season and it wrecked his campaign.
By the time he got fit, life had moved on and he was shipped out to Vitoria Guimaraes, where he enjoyed a productive time. Rodgers’ return has given him a glimmer of hope – but Johnston admitted at 24 he feels his career has yet to get going.
Mercifully he feels fully fit again and he said: “I’d like to have done a lot more at this stage of my career, obviously. I had 18 months at one stage of quite bad injuries but I seem to have overcome that now and I’m playing. I would like to have done a lot more.
“Obviously what happens on the pitch affects your life massively, and every footballer will tell you that. It’s hard to be happy when you’re not doing what you love.”
“It comes hand in hand. People expected me to do more and I expected more of myself but there has been a lot of factors into why I haven’t done that; injuries are probably the main one.
“I didn’t have too much trust in my body at one stage, I was afraid to get injured and there was stuff happening but I seem to have overcome that. I’m confident again.”
Johnston is hoping to get his chance against the Dutch, and perhaps his club boss will notice as well.
It doesn’t help Ireland are in the weird position where they would be better off losing to Holland tomorrow as their only route to the Euros is in the Nations League play-offs, and the Dutch would end up in there with them if they get pipped to second spot by Greece.
But Johnston said: “It’s tough and the results have not gone our way recently, but we’re wanting to finish it strong at least and get positive results. I think we have shown that we can compete.”
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