It is fair to say Brendan Rodgers will have a sizeable Celtic squad to pick from heading into the 2023/24 campaign.

The number of players returning from loans combined with the current crop of first teamers at Parkhead makes for a significant number.

And one such player who is returning from a loan ahead of the new season and will be looking to make an impression on Rodgers is Mikey Johnston.

Notably, it was the Rodgers who handed Johnston his senior Celtic debut back in 2017.

Then, Johnston was just 17 years of age and he has came a long way since then.

Nevertheless, he is a player who has never seemed to hit the heights initially expected of him at Parkhead.

As a result of this and injuries alike, he was loaned out to Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal for the 2022/23 season.

There, the 24 year old has scored three goals and registered five assists in all competitions and his performances on an international level have more than caught the eye.

A switch to Ireland has seemed to work wonders for Johnston who has been on electric form under Stephen Kenny.

He even bagged his maiden Ireland goal in the most recent international break.

Despite this, his season in Portugal wasn’t a hugely impressive one and at Celtic, he will be playing at a much higher level and there will be significantly more expectation.

Furthermore, the competition for places in the wide areas at Celtic at the minute is vast. It is hard to see Johnston taking a spot in the team off player like Jota, Maeda, Haksbanaovic, Abada or even Forrest.

Therefore unless the Ireland international absolutely lights it up in pre-season, it is tough to see him making a real impact at Celtic in the 2023/24 season.