Celtic winger Mikey Johnston will return to the Scottish giants next season after signing with Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes on loan, where the youngster is thriving.
According to A Bola, the Vimaranenses are bracing for the 23-year-old to return to Glasgow next summer after Johnston signed for Vitoria on loan for the season, with the attacker winning plenty of plaudits for his performances in recent weeks for the Portuguese club.
As per the report, the ‘special’ winger has won the hearts of many at Vitoria since signing late on in the summer transfer window, with Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou personally deciding on sending Johnston to Portugual to play regular minutes and to improve his game.
And the decision has worked wonders, with the Celtic academy graduate bagging two goals and one assist in all competitions in his five appearances for Vitoria, with Johnston only making his debut last month following his late arrival at the club.
Indeed, Johnston has always showed signs of promise during his time in the Celtic first-team, with the attacker making 79 appearances in total for the Hoops and scoring 11 goals in the process. Yet this loan spell is seemingly doing exactly what Postecoglou wanted from the Scotland youth international.
With more Scottish players taking their trade abroad and finding incredible success, Celtic’s decision to loan out Johnston to Portugal could be a gamble that pays off big time next year, and the winger could find himself in Postecoglou’s plans for next season if he can stay fit and maintain his form.
Johnston signing for Vitoria on loan has been a masterstroke
Loans are hard to get right for a club with as many exciting talents as Celtic, yet the Hoops have seemingly nailed Johnston’s move to Vitoria out of the park, with fans happy with his performances and the winger expected to play a big role for the Portuguese side this season.
Whilst injuries have been an issue, Johnston is now back to full fitness ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup league run-in, and the attacker can make a real name for himself in the coming weeks if the Celtic talent can keep his spot in the starting XI and prove his worth to Vitoria.
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