Celtic winger Mikey Johnston will have a chat with Brendan Rodgers about his role this season before weighing up the possibility of a loan move.
The 19-year-old winger made an impression in the weekend win over Standard Liege with a fine goal and decent overall second-half display.
The Scotland under-21 internationalist missed three months of last season with a thigh injury but is eager now to start making inroads into Celtic’s first-team squad.
“I’m a Celtic fan so I want to be here as long as possible and break into the first team,” he said. “If this isn’t my year then I’ll need to go somewhere else to play. I’ll see what the gaffer thinks. But I train every day with guys who came through the ranks – players like Kieran Tierney, Callum McGregor and James Forrest – and they’re always giving me advice.
“They’ve been in exactly the same position as I’m in now so you need to learn from them.
“Last season I had a taste of it but I also had a thigh injury which kept me out for three months and that stunted my progress because I’d been hoping for more at that time. That was disappointing but you can’t let it affect you because you need to come back raring to go.
“I want to go out and play the way I always have done; it’s got me this far so I don’t see any need to change. The manager wants me to do that anyway – when I’m in the final third I can express myself and, when I’m further back, it’s all about keeping possession and not losing the ball.”
Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard have made a strong early impression this term too and Johnston appreciates that he has a bit of catching up to do in terms of bulking out his slender frame.
“Both of them are unbelievable, even at training,” he said. “They are top players and their physicality is just incredible.
“The way I play, I think I need to be on the slight side but I also want to get a bit bigger so I’m working hard in the gym so I can get myself as ready as I can be.
“Diet comes into that as well. I need to have a couple of protein shakes every day, after training sessions and going to the gym. They should help to bulk me up a bit. I still stay at home and my mum looks after what I eat, which is just as well because I can’t cook – I’ve no plans to move out because I get so much done for me.”
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