Mikey Johnston declares to Celtic 'I am good enough' and vows he'll prove it after Ireland impact

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. However, Johnston’s challenge was halted during pre-season when a stress fracture of his back landed him a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

In his absence, new recruits have grasped the opportunity to advance in a winger queue which also includes established contributors Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada. South Korean Yang was bought from Gangwon for a fee in excess of £2m.

Honduran international Palma was next through the door from Greek side Aris for £3.5m. Both have made an impact since signing with Yang, 21, getting the first crack of a start and four sub appearances in the opening five games of the season.

Palma’s arrival just before the close of the transfer window added the options and the 23-year-old has raised the bar having scored in each of the two Premiership matches against Motherwell and Kilmarnock prior to the international break. The experienced James Forrest is in the mix and Johnston is also fighting to prove