Ange Postecoglou has discussed the reasons for letting Mikey Johnston move out on loan.
The winger only managed to start three SPFL matches last season with the vast majority of his outings coming off the bench.
Like many of the younger players at Celtic, Johnston’s development came to a halt under Neil Lennon with his reaction to an injury suffered by the winger summing up the attitude of the manager.
Liel Abada, Jota and Daizen Maeda look like battling it out for two wing places at Celtic this season. With James Forrest also in contention Johnston would be looking at limited game time while a season on loan could put 30-40 appearances in the bank.
8 minutes in, Mikey Johnston discussed
There’s definitely a talented footballer there, but sometimes you just need a different environment to help that happen and I just think, for him and his career, maybe some time away playing in a different environment, enjoying his football and bringing out his talent would help.
He’s been unlucky with injuries, but this pre-season he’s been great – he hasn’t missed a session.
Part of my responsibility is to develop our younger players, or those that haven’t established themselves, and you sometimes have to make a decision that, if he’s not going to get enough game time here, it’s better to look elsewhere. We are working hard with him to facilitate something like that happening.
Johnston is under contract with Celtic until June 2025.
Standard Liege have been credited with an interest in Johnston, already this window Celtic have dealt with Mechelen for the exit of Boli Bolingoli with Osaze Urhoghide joining Oostende on loan.
