Ireland winger Mikey Johnston has picked up a back injury and could be out of action for up to three months, says new Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.
Johnston, who was on loan at Vitória Guimaraes last season, has seen his Celtic spell plagued by injuries with issues of availability causing concerns at Celtic. The 24-year-old was recently called up to the Ireland squads by Stephen Kenny, impressing in his four caps so far. Ireland play France and Netherlands in crucial World Cup qualifiers from September 7th to 10th, making Johnston unlikely to be available for selection for Kenny.
“His job is to convince myself and the coaches that he’s ready for a place,” Rodgers said. “Sadly for Mikey, he’s going to be out for a few more months. He’s got an injury with his back. He will be out for near on three months,” Rodgers said. Ireland play France and Netherlands in World Cup qualifiers from September 7th to 10th.
“It’s the player’s responsibility. They have to show the quality, they have to show the consistency. They have to show that robustness in order to play. And that is the job of every player,” he said when speaking of Johnston.
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Rodgers, who took over when Ange Postecoglou left to take over Tottenham Hotspur, is back for his second spell at the Scottish champions. He says the club is in a “really good” place for his second stint.
“The club is very stable off the pitch, really good structure in place. The infrastructure in place is excellent. There is a young team but a team that has more development still in it.
“We will look to improve, the best time to improve is when the team has done really well and been successful and to increase the competition in the squad. That competition is always good for the players. I am very confident we will be able to do that.”
One of the main goals for Rodgers this season is improving Celtic’s record in Europe, although Rodgers calls for realistic expectations.
“We have to be realistic. It is a competition that is the highest level in club football. The key for us to be competitive against top, top level teams. Our ambition is to get out of the [Champions League] group stage. It is a huge challenge but it is a challenge we will embrace. If not, we want to ensure we have European football after Christmas and to go as far as we possibly can.”
Celtic’s friendly against Wolves came about after their tour to South Korea was cancelled and Rodgers said they could not ask for a better alternative venue than Dublin.
“To take it to Ireland, being Irish it’s really, really special. There are thousands of supporters every single week going to see Celtic. They make a huge sacrifice every week, Celtic is their life, it ends up being nearly a 24 hour trip to get there and back. To reward those supporters and bring a game to Ireland, I look forward to that.”
Meanwhile, Wolves’ Joe Hodge has set his sights on a place in the Wolves first team following the departure of Ruben Neves to Saudi Arabia. Hodge played six games for Wolves last season and has been a key part of the Ireland under-21s team, captaining the side.
“I want to be a starter here. It’s all about doing well in preseason. I want to be a big player for Wolves, I want to play every week.”
Hodge says he has a good relationship with Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui who has told him clearly what he needs to do to get in the team.
“I’m trying to improve on the things he’s telling me. [Since he arrived] Everyone is pulling together more, everyone is on the same page. We are starting to build on what we started last year.”
Hodge is an ambitious player and plans to make the Ireland senior squad this season.
“I am dying to part of the squad. If I perform to the level I’m capable of, I’m in contention to be called up. I want to play for Ireland and play as soon as possible,” he said.
Celtic v Wolverhampton Wanderers is set for the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, July 29th, with kick-off at 2pm. Tickets are now available and ticket prices start at €35 for Adults and €20 for Under-16s and can be purchased via Ticketmaster.ie.
