“It’s hard to say goodbye,” Mikey Johnston said on starting a new chapter and returning to Celtics fandom.
Mikey Johnston recorded an emotional farewell letter to Celtic after completing his £3 million transfer to West Brom during the summer transfer window.
Mikey had gone through the Celtic Academy and was rated by the club as the finest player of his generation, with previous graduates James Forrest and Callum McGregor.
While the technique was there, Mikey’s physicality was missing as he advanced to the first team squad as a young adolescent. And for several years, the pattern was established, with injuries impeding his growth.
The night Mikey took a knock, refused to come off, and then sustained a worse injury, with then-Celtic manager Neil Lennon captured on tape making his personal opinions on the issue very obvious, summed up Mikey’s fate in a Celtic jersey. It seemed destined not to occur.
After a relatively successful loan spell in Portugal, Mikey returned to Celtic and was given the opportunity to work with Brendan Rodgers, who had previously given him his debut. Brendan gave Mikey minutes in the opening part of last season, but it appeared like the winger was pushing too hard, expecting too much, and it just didn’t work. By halftime in the Hearts game, Celtic were two goals behind, and the Celtic fans turned on Mikey, who had his worst 45 minutes in Celtic jersey.
Mikey was loaned to West Brom at the end of January, and away from the stress of playing for Celtic, he recovered his mojo. As previously said, ability was always available in abundance. He made the international transition to represent the Republic of Ireland, and he is currently a fixture in their team.
Mikey became a notable player for Championship clubs following his highly successful loan at the Hawthorns, with West Brom, Burnley, and Sheffield United (both demoted from the Premier League) all having offers approved by Celtic last week.
The decision was left to Mikey, who rightly elected to return to the Hawthorns, where he is already a major fan favourite.
Mikey is a passionate Celtics fan, and that will not change. He’ll have a successful career in England and might perhaps play in the Premier League for West Brom next season. Mikey’s tremendous goals and assists totals helped them get close last season.
Mikey came to Instagram a few days after leaving Celtic to say his last farewell.
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