CELTIC'S 10-GOAL ACADEMY STAR COULD BE THEIR NEXT MIKEY JOHNSTON

Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers made the decision to send Mikey Johnston out on loan and sign winger Nicolas Kuhn as his replacement during the January transfer window.

The German forward, signed on a permanent deal from Austrian side Rapid Wien, has enjoyed a solid start to life in Scotland, with a return of two goals and one assist in nine Scottish Premiership outings.

However, some may look at how well Johnston has been doing with West Bromwich Albion since his loan move to the English Championship and wonder what could have been for him at Parkhead, if Rodgers had given him more opportunities.

Celtic could, though, already have their next version of Johnston, who came up through the academy system in Glasgow, in B team star Ben Quinn.

Mikey Johnston's impressive form for the Baggies

The Ireland international worked his way through the youth teams with the Hoops and produced 13 goals and 12 assists in 92 appearances for the club before his loan move to the Baggies at the start of the year.

Since his move to England, Johnston has been on fire in the Championship with a terrific return of seven goals in 15 games, despite only starting 12 of those matches.

As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old attacker has significantly outperformed his xG and been a ruthless finisher in the final third for Carlos Corberan.

He has proven himself to be a clinical goalscorer from a wide position and Celtic could find their next goalscoring winger from the academy with Quinn, who has been in fantastic form this season.

Ben Quinn's goalscoring record for Celtic

The 19-year-old academy star, who was once described as a "direct" winger by Irish analyst Mark Broomy, has showcased his quality as a scorer over the last two campaigns with the B team.

Last season, Quinn racked up 11 goals and seven assists in 30 Lowland League games and one goal in two Challenge Cup appearances for the young Hoops.

This term, the forward - who can play on either flank - has plundered ten goals and one assist in 22 Lowland League outings for the B team, along with one assist in five UEFA Youth League games.

In total, Quinn has fired in 22 goals and assisted a further eight in 52 Lowland League games for Celtic B since the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

These statistics show that the Ireland U18 international has the quality to find the back of the net on a regular basis from a wide position, as his compatriot Johnston has for the Baggies, but it is now up to him to prove that it translates over to first-team football.

Rodgers could unearth Celtic's next version of Johnston, and allow the Hoops to cash in on the prolific West Brom loanee if the opportunity arises this summer, by offering Quinn a chance to showcase his ability in the final third for the senior side over the coming weeks and months.

2024-04-17T17:56:08Z dg43tfdfdgfd