Express & Star

'One of the very best': West Brom target Mikey Johnston still remains highly regarded at Celtic

West Brom look all set to sign Celtic's flying winger Mikey Johnston on loan until the end of the season.

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The winger has been subject of interest from Albion for a number of weeks - with other Championship clubs reportedly keen on his services.

But Albion have won the race and after completing a medical this morning, he is set to complete his switch before the deadline.

A product of the Celtic academy, the pacey winger has been highly regarded at Celtic Park for a number of years.

He made his debut in the 2016/17 campaign but has never quite nailed down a permanent starting place in the side - and last season went on loan to Portugal.

So far in the current campaign, Johnston has played 12 times in all competitions but it is clear he is still rated by Celtic Brendan Rodgers.

Speaking about the youngster in late 2023, he made a big claim regarding the winger.

In December, Rodgers said: "The reason Mikey’s still here now from the summer is because I rate him as a player.

"I could easily have put him out on loan in the summer, having not played or featured so much last year.

"But I know his talent, and I want to try to do everything I can to allow him to maximise that talent.

"You hope you can see the qualities he has on a regular basis because he is a very, very talented player, one of the very best to come out of the academy here in terms of talent, individual quality, one v one, speed, he’s got stronger as well.

"He’s made great strides in his training performance, in terms of consistency, being available and regular training.

"If you want to play at a club like Celtic in the starting lineup regularly you have to have a robustness, be mentally strong, competitive and physically brave.

"So, all these things are part of being a player at Celtic as well as the talent, but I’ll always give every player the chance if I think they have that talent."

It is understood the deal is a straight loan, which includes no option or obligation to buy.