Winger sets timeline to salvage his Celtic career

Mikey Johnston has set himself a January deadline to revive his Celtic career.

The winger is a likely starter for Ireland away to Holland on Saturday night but has only 25 minutes of club football to his name this season, coming off the bench in the 0-0 draw away to Hibs.

Johnston made his first team debut in May 2017 under Brendan Rodgers but has never established himself in the side with injuries a big factor in his stop-start career.

At the age of 24 and with an international career opening up the next few months look critical for the winger with December looking like make or break for his Celtic career.

Speaking to The Sun Johnstone said:

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.

Have I spoken to the manager about it? Not 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. It can be done. Liam Scales thought he was out the door and now he’s back playing and he’s a regular in the team.

I’m so happy for him and it shows it can definitely be done. I’m not going to say anything bad about Celtic and I would love for it to happen at Celtic. I would love to play but I’m 24 now and I want to play every game.

I want to be involved in Ireland camps, I want to be playing 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.

With Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada currently injured the door is open to wingers but Johnston failed to make it onto the bench again Aberdeen on Sunday.

Luis Palma and Yang Hyun-Jun were preferred with James Forrest coming off the bench but with 11 matches before the January break there could be one more chance waiting for the Irish internationalist.