Tonight, Celtic face Dundee United in the quarter-final round of the Scottish Cup but will seemingly have to do so without first-team player Mikey Johnston.
Indeed, it has been reported earlier (90 min) that the winger will now not be available to play in the game as the Bhoys look to progress into the next round of the domestic competition.
With that in mind, manager Ange Postecoglou will have some key calls to make ahead of the game and going forward.
And so, TIF has decided to take a look at how it could all play out.
Celtic handed a late blow
In the short term, the Australian manager has to decide what to do with his team. Journalist Kieran Devlin has already suggested the midfield could be an area of interest, with Yosuke Ideguchi a ‘surprise’ option to play in the middle of the park.
However, with Johnston now unavailable, it leaves questions to be answered further up the field too. The 22-year-old hasn’t played since the last round of the competition – against Raith Rovers – back in the middle of February.
In his place, the likes of Jota, Liel Abada, and James Forrest have juggled the positions on the flanks. Presumably, two of those three will start again.
Still, without Johnston fit, Postecoglou must be worried about overworking his wingers. With this cup competition to juggle alongside the push for a league title, the manager will have to manage his squad’s minutes carefully.
Ange faces big decision
Of course, this could just be an apparent precaution or something, but beyond the short-term concern referenced above, the ongoing fitness issues of Johnston may also be raising doubts in the mind of Postecoglou.
Indeed, despite being a fairly young player, his career has already been plagued by a number of injuries. Notably, in the two seasons prior to this one, the winger missed huge chunks of the campaign – while this term he has only made the starting team on three occasions in the league.
It sounds harsh, but if the youngster cannot keep himself fit, it may be time for Celtic to try and move him on and bring in a player who can be relied upon when needed.
Should Celtic sell Mikey Johnston in the summer?
Yes
No
He has a contract until 2025, but if he isn’t able to feature much in the coming months, perhaps Postecoglou should look to offload him in the summer, while his transfer value remains intact.
Especially as the likes of Kyogo, Liel Abada, Jota, Daizen Maeda and Giorgos Giakoumakis have all managed to contribute plenty in the final third already.
In other news: ‘I cannot get my head around’ – Mark Guidi shocked at what’s been said about Celtic 24 y/o
“Big decision”?
Mikey has had too many opportunities already. He us a burden on the wage bill!
Get him out now.