Johnston was on the pitch for close to 30 minutes in Celtic’s 2-0 victory over St. Johnstone on Saturday and impressed during his brief cameo appearance.

Former top flight star Rae was impressed with Johnston’s display against St. Johnstone and pointed out how he came close to scoring and made great deliveries into the danger area on the afternoon.

Rae is also an admirer of the 22-year-old’s ability to switch to his right foot despite being a left-footer and said that he brings a lot to the table for Celtic.

The Scot is of the view that Johnston is a breath of fresh air for Celtic and feels the Hoops could give him more playing time by shifting Jota to the right wing.

“I think he is a great addition, I think they gave him a four-or-five-year contract last time, he has had terrible luck with injuries“, Rae said on Clyde 1’s Superscoreboard.

“I actually like the boy, I think he brings a lot to the table.

“He is one of the guys that can check back into his right foot.

“He put some lovely balls in, he hit the post, but he can also stick to the byline.

“So, when you’ve got that kind of quality – the pace, very direct – I think he can cause problems.

“The problem he has is you have got Jota playing in front of him.

“But, the way Celtic are playing, there is an opportunity even to put Jota on the right hand side and give Mikey Johnston more game time because he is a breath of fresh air.“

Having seen a ligament injury and fitness issues halt his progress at Parkhead, Johnston will be hopeful of establishing himself as a first team regular for Celtic again.

This article was originally posted here