Neil Lennon shares what he’s told Celtic forward Mikey Johnston

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Celtic youngster Mikey Johnston played 23 times for the Bhoys last season, and could make a big impact at Parkhead this time around.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon has told the Glasgow Evening Training that Mikey Johnston has returned to pre-season and needs to work on his fitness.

Johnston started for Celtic in the Scottish Cup final in the final game of last season, which shows how highly Lennon rates the youngster.

However, Lennon wants Johnston to become fitter so he can handle the rigours of playing regularly at Celtic.

“It’s a big season for Michael because it’s the next one,” the Bhoys boss said.

“I like him. He needs to get fitter and more robust, and he’s been told that.

“He came off in the youth cup final and Scottish Cup final with cramp. But we need to look at the conditioning of all the players who aren’t playing on a regular basis.”

Johnston is regarded as one of the brightest up and coming talents at Celtic, and he could well be a first-team regular over the upcoming campaign.

The 20-year-old was given 23 appearances for Celtic last season across all competitions.

It seems that Lennon is pushing for Johnston to be more involved, and his start in the cup final will surely serve as motivation for him.

Celtic play their first pre-season friendly tomorrow against Pinkafeld, as they gear up to take on FK Sarajevo in qualifying for the Champions League at the start of next season.