Returning Celtic star is 'top player' who can do a Liam Scales - 'in training he's right up with the best'

Mikey Johnston emerged from the shadows when he stepped off the bench to make his first Celtic appearance in 19 months during the goalless draw with Hibs on Saturday.

Celtic's Mikey Johnston skips past Hibs defender Lewis Miller during the goalless draw at Easter Road. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

Despite being available for selection, the 24-year-old winger was left out of Celtic’s opening nine league matches, with his goal-scoring appearance for Ireland in a 4-0 win over Gibraltar two weeks ago his only competitive football of the campaign until his 65th-minute introduction for Luis Palma at Easter Road.

After spending last season on loan at Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal's top flight, where he played 31 times, contributing three goals and five assists, and earning six international caps since switching allegiance from Scotland to Ireland in March, Johnston is now eager to make his mark back at Celtic Park.

Brendan Rodgers is all too aware of Johnston's potential having handed him his senior debut in 2017 aged 18 during his first spell in charge. The Celtic boss rated his return against Hibs as "up and down" – a terrific strike which drew a diving save from David Marshall the highlight and a few dangerous balls across goal mixed in with some slack passes and touches as the lack of match sharpness showed.

A leggy Celtic performance following their midweek exertions against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League certainly improved when he, James Forrest, and David Turnbull entered the fray as the defending champions finished the match much stronger than they started.

Whether it is the start of a new dawn for Johnston at Celtic, or another false one, remains to be seen. For a player who has been plagued by injuries issues in the past, staying fit will be a determining factor. But while some Celtic fans may have already given up on Johnston, who is under contract until 2026, his return from exile suggests that Rodgers has not. Neither has team-mate Greg Taylor, who is adamant that the club could yet have a "top player" on their hands.

And he reckons Liam Scales can be an example for Johnston to follow – another player written off by the Celtic support, and who spent last season out on loan, in his case at Aberdeen, before being given a chance and grasping it with both hands. "He’s had a tough time with injuries although I think he got a relatively consistent run in Portugal last year," Taylor said. "He’s been fit pretty much all of this season although certainly he missed a chunk of pre-season. He’s getting consistency (with fitness). That’s what Mikey needs to do – get the training time in and wait on his opportunity. And take it when it comes."

On the Scales comparison, the Celtic left-back added: "It shows you it can happen. It does but equally you’ve got to want it, you’ve got to work, you’ve got to show that you are ready when the manager calls upon you. He’s got bags of ability Mikey. One v one in training, he’s right up there with the best. You see his performances for Ireland. They’ve been very strong as well. So Mikey’s got ability. It’s just about delivering on a consistent level. If he does that in training then he’ll get the opportunity in games. There is a top player there."