Unlucky Mikey Johnston has had to wait three months to properly rejoin the battle. But the Celtic winger now has his chance to joust with the likes of big-money arrivals Luis Palma and Hyunjun Yang for the right to be a Parkhead wide boy.
Johnston heads back to Lennoxtown on a high having struck for Republic of Ireland against Gibraltar on his first competitive outing of the season.
It’s been a desperately frustrating start to the campaign for the 24-year-old. Having enjoyed a successful last season in Portugal on loan at Vitoria Guimaraes, Johnston received a further summer boost with the return of Brendan Rodgers.
The boss handed him his top-team debut as a teenager in May 2017 during his first spell at the helm and the doors were opened for him to stake a real claim when Jota departed for Saudi Arabia.