Mikey Johnston debuted for Vitoria de Guimaraes over the weekend and certainly made an immediate impact at his new club.. The Portuguese side defeated Santa Clara with a tight 1-0 victory and Johnston received 45 minutes of game time to help hold onto that 1-0 lead until the full-time whistle.
Johnston agreed a season longloan deal with Vitoria de Guimaraes on transfer deadline day, as Ange Postecoglou looks for the player to regain his match fitness and form before , all going well, returning to Celtic in the summer to stake his place in the Celtic first team.
Vitoria assistant coach, Joao Aroso spoke after the game and highlighted Johnston’s contribution to the side and was pleased that the Celtic wingerwas able to handle the pressure on his debut. As reported by Portuguese media outlet Record, Aroso said: “Regarding Mikey, he is a player with quality, strong in the one-on-one, with many years at Celtic. He showed that in a difficult game. It’s not the easiest game for a player to debut in, but he’s used to strong environments.
“The most significant change [with Mikey Johnston coming in for Ryoya Ogawa]had to do with Nélson da Luz moving from wingback to full-back with special characteristics. In a ‘3x4x3’, a full-back can be very attacking.”
It’s good news for the Bhoys, as the experience Mikey Johnston will be gaining may allow him to be a useful asset upon his return to Paradise. It was clear that Celtic wasn’t ready to fully part with the winger as they extended his contract by a year before approving his loan to Portugual.
