Opinion: 23-year-old's Celtic future may depend on £6m plus transfer

Celtic winger Mikey Johnston might well have to make a big decision about his future in the next few months.

At the age of 23, he will have been hoping that he would be a regular in the Celtic team by now, but that hasn’t really happened. Indeed, last season he was limited to 20 games for the Hoops.

Would a loan move be better for Johnston than being on the fringes of the Celtic side? That could depend on a few things, and one of those could be if the Hoops are able to sign Jota on a permanent deal.

When Jota, who of course is a winger just like Johnston, first joined the Hoops it was reported that to get his loan deal converted into a permanent deal it would cost Celtic over £6m.

The Hoops are working to get that loan deal turned into a permanent transfer, and if Jota does stay at Celtic, Johnston’s chances of featuring for the Hoops would further reduce.

The other factor that could decide Johnston’s future at Celtic is Ange Postecoglou. Postecoglou will ultimately decide on the player’s future, and you have to think that discussions will take place between the player and the manager over the next few weeks.

Celtic have a lot of wingers at the club as it stands, and at the moment Johnston is not guaranteed first-team football, and that is not what he will want at this stage in his career.

If Johnston does leave Celtic this summer, he can be satisfied with how his career his gone to an extent, as he has won a lot of trophies at the club. But he likely won’t be satisfied that he hasn’t been able to hold down a first-team place at Celtic Park.

Still, Johnston in his time at Celtic has shown that he is capable of playing at a high level when he is at his best, and if he did leave the Hoops in the close season, there would