MIKEY JOHNSTON will have ‘another status’ when he returns to Celtic in the summer, with his manager at loan club Vitória SC, Moreno Teixeira, believing he will have what it takes to stake a claim for a regular first-team place under Ange Postecoglou.
Tiexeira has been hugely impressed by Johnston during his time playing in the Portuguese Liga, and wasn’t at all surprised to see him performing well over the last week for the Republic of Ireland in their European Championship qualification matches against Latvia and France.
While conceding that he still has a lot of improvement left in him, Tiexiera has been pleased with the progress Johnston has made during his spell in Portugal to date, and wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him play his way back into contention at Celtic next season following the expiry of his loan deal.
“Mikey Johnston is a young player who is still learning and we knew he had room to improve,” Tiexeira told Herald Sport.
“I was not mistaken: he has skill, speed and fits easily into any tactical system. He is growing in every way, becoming more and more useful for the team.
“He has three goals and three assists in 22 games played by Vitória SC, which is already a very good record for someone playing for the first time in the Portuguese Liga, one of the most competitive in Europe.
“We have excellent options for the wings and he deserved the opportunities he had, being a very competitive and professional both in training and in games.
“Naturally he should improve some aspects and he knows what they are, but I am not at all surprised by his call to the Republic of Ireland.
“He is a valuable winger, he has evolved a lot and, therefore, I believe he will have another status when he returns to Celtic at the end of the season”.
Johnston himself had addressed his own future following his impressive debut for the Irish last week, saying: “Portugal has been really good. I had quite a bad time with injuries in the last couple of years.
“For a full year, touch wood, I have been fine and managed to get back to full fitness.
“Vitoria has been a great platform for me. They are in a big league and it’s really competitive.
“I have had a lot of starts, a lot of games, 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.”
