“A damn good player…” - Former Celtic player makes Mikey Johnston claim after West Brom form | OneFootball

Frank McAvennie has praised Mikey Johnston after his impressive start to life at West Brom, although he does not believe the winger will return to Celtic.

Mikey Johnston enjoys fast start at West Brom

The 24-year-old had come through the ranks with the Glasgow giants, but he failed to truly establish himself as a regular at Parkhead, even though he made over 90 appearances since his debut in 2017.

With his game time limited in the current campaign, it was decided in January that Johnston would move to The Hawthorns on a temporary basis, and it’s a deal that has worked out very well so far.

The Ireland international continued his fine individual form with a brilliant individual goal in the 2-1 win over Coventry City on Friday night, which took his tally to three in just seven appearances for the Baggies.

Pundit discusses Mike Johnston’s future

Johnston’s form has made him a firm favourite with the Albion fans since his move, and they will already be hoping the club can do all they can to keep him for the long-term.

And, speaking to Football Insider, ex-Celtic player turned pundit McAvennie told Football Insider that whilst Johnston is a big talent, he expects him to depart the Scottish champions on a permanent basis in the window.

“He’s not coming back to Celtic at all. My God, he scored three goals [for West Brom], but he can do that up in Scotland. He scored two against Dundee and all of a sudden he was the best thing since sliced toast! It was incredible.

“He’s been at Celtic for years and he wasn’t getting into the team. There’s no doubting the boy’s talent. But when it comes to it at Celtic, that atmosphere and the thing that drives people doesn’t encourage him. He goes into himself. I thrived on that, but Mickey doesn’t. He’s a damn good player and the Championship is a good level for him.”

West Brom’s summer transfer plans

Carlos Corberan has been restricted with what he could do in the market over recent windows, but he will hope that will change moving forward now that Shilen Patel has completed his takeover.

Obviously, their summer plans will depend on what division the side are in, but if they remain in the Championship, then signing Johnston on a long-term basis will surely be a priority.

He has been outstanding since his arrival, and his goal last night was another demonstration of his quality, as he beat his full-back with ease, and then had the quality to curl in.

For whatever reason, as McAvennie outlined, he couldn’t do that consistently at Celtic, where there is a lot of pressure on players. But, he seems to be enjoying his time at Albion.

With his contract expiring in 2026, a fee would need to be agreed in the summer, but it would be a surprise if Celtic didn’t sanction a switch.

So, this is one to monitor in the summer, although the only focus for Johnston is on helping Albion as they try to win promotion, and he will then see what the future holds once the campaign is over.