Anyone watching the Glasgow Cup Final on Thursday night would have been impressed by the performance and potential of Mikey Johnstone. Anyone, it seems other than Scotland u-17 coach Scott Gemmill.
Johnstone opened the scoring for Celtic with a brilliant strike, his 27th goal of the season in Celtic’s 29th game of the season. Best of all he’s not a striker!.
The 17-year-old has played in all of the attacking midfield positions; left, right and centre and has an eye for goal to match his natural trickery on the ball.
Aiden McGeady and Paul George are the only players to have come through the Celtic Academy with the same level of skill. It worked out well for one of them, not so the other.
Talent like Johnston’s is a rarity, encouraging his skill and blending it into the team set up has been the challenge for the Celtic coaches and on Thursday night’s evidence one that is working out well.
Strangely, it seems that a player with outstanding natural skill and an eye for goal has no place in the Scotland international set up.
Gemmill knows the Celtic set up well, Aidan McAdams, Broque Watson and Jack Aitchison are in the 18 strong squad that will face Belgium, Portugal and Azerbaijan from Thursday in the last 16 of the European Championships. Alongside Aitchison, Johnston is the outstanding talent in the Celtic squad.
In August Johnston was part of the Scotland squad that travelled to Romania for two friendlies and training time ahead of the European campaign.
When Scotland were drawn with Macedonia, Bulgaria and Italy in the Qualifying Round Johnston was absent, Celtic team-mates Shaun Bowers and Wallace Duffy played in the matches alongside McAdams, Watson and Aitchison. A win, loss and draw saw Scotland progress.
Six weeks ago for the Elite Round with Denmark, the Czech Republic and Switzerland Johnston was still missing as Scotland went through with four points to the last 16.
Underage football will always face the dilemma of having to choose between success and development, in an ideal world you try for both.
Despite millions being poured into Development Schools, strategies and blue prints it seems that educating and developing a talent like Johnston isn’t a priority for the Scotland u-17 squad. Perhaps Johnston’s slight build has gone against him but at 17-year-old he has more talent than his peers, he has the chance to fill out and bulk up, others will never develop the talent that Johnston already has.
History tells you that Scotland rarely develop players through the ranks to full international level. Brian O’Neill and Paul Dickov were the only players from the 1989 u-16 World Cup finalists that earned full caps, by the age of 25 the footballing dreams of most of those players were dead and buried.
In 2006 Scotland’s u-19 side faced Spain in the final of the European Championships, Celtic provided that squad with Scott Fox, Scott Cuthbert, Charlie Grant, Simon Ferry, Ryan Conroy and Michael McGlinchey. Scotland also included Garry Kenneth, Mark Reynolds and Calum Elliot, not many of them are in Gordon Strachan’s plans for the 2018 World Cup campaign.
While Gemmill’s squad prepare for and play against the best that Europe has to offer the most skilful u-17 in Scotland will remain behind as Celtic complete their league campaign, looking to build on 19 wins from 21 matches.
Next season Johnston and the others from the Glasgow Cup winning squad face the daunting prospect of stepping up to the Development League, often giving away three years and more to their opponents. It’s not ideal.
Johnston shouldn’t need any extra motivation to succeed but it’s only natural that being overlooked by Scotland will be in his thoughts.
If Gemmill’s squad has 18 players better than Celtic’s attacking midfielder then Scotland must be odds on to lift the European crown. Their qualifying record suggests otherwise.
CELTIC U-17 STATS: League scorers so far (22 matches): Johnston 19, Aitchison 16, McLaughlin 8, Bell 5, Duffy 3, Watson 2, Campbell 3, McInroy 3, Higgins 2, McAllister 2, Thorburn 2, Potter 2, Murray 2, Antonazzi 1, Diver 1, Church 1, Barr 1, Henderson 1, Payne 1
Glasgow Cup (7 matches): Johnston 8, Aitchison 5, Diver 1, Campbell 2, Antonazzi 1, Watson 1, Potter 1, Bowers 1