Mikey Johnston has addressed his ‘long-term’ future with Celtic after spending this season away from Parkhead. The forward headed on loan to Vitoria de Guimaraes in the summer.
The 23-year-old had struggled to establish a prominent presence for the Hoops in 2021/22 under Ange Postecoglou in the Premiership. Johnston only started in three of his 12 league outings through an injury-hit season. He also did not feature in the top-flight after January.
Postecoglou seldom utilised Johnston whilst he rebuilt his fitness as the forward also failed to register a single goal involvement. His only assist for the term was in the Hoops’ Europa League win over Real Betis in Group G. He did not score over 20 games in all competitions.
Joining Vitoria on loan has been productive for Celtic product Johnston so far
So, with minutes hard to find at Parkhead under Postecoglou, Celtic sent Johnston on loan to Vitoria de Guimaraes. The Glasgow-born dynamo, who made his debut for the Republic of Ireland this Wednesday, has since featured 22 times and started in 11 of their matches.
Johnston has further offered the Liga Portugal club three goals and three assists across all competitions, as well. He has penned one goal and two assists during 16 top-flight games. But he has not found the back of the net since October or lay on an assist since December.
Winger now fires Postecoglou a warning on his long-term future at Parkhead
Postecoglou may hope Johnston’s efforts for Vitoria de Guimaraes see him return to Celtic and kick on next season. The forward is under contract at Parkhead through to May 2026. He agreed to sign a new deal with the Glasgow giants before leaving for Portugal on loan.
Johnston has also now addressed his long-term future with Celtic. But the winger appears to have fired Postecoglou a warning. He will not be happy to return to Parkhead just to be a backup player next season and wants to feel important to have a future in green-and-white.
“Vitoria has been a great platform for me,” Johnston said, via quotes by the Daily Record. “They are in a big league and it’s really competitive. I have had a lot of starts, a lot of games [and] a lot of consistency, which is what I needed.
“Will I be back at Celtic long-term? We will see. I don’t want to sit on the bench, I just want to feel important.”
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