Republic of Ireland Manager Stephen Kenny has been dealt a blow as Mikey Johnston has been ruled out for three months, and will miss September's Euro 2024 qualifiers.
The Celtic winger has picked up a back injury, and his new manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that his spell on the sidelines will be quite lengthy.
This comes at a bad time for the midfielder who really wanted to kick on from an impressive finish to the season, and show his new boss that he should be a starting player.
Johnston was on loan to Portuguese side Vitoria last year, where he showed real progress, and after bagging his first international goal in Ireland's win against Gibraltar, he would have felt that he was in a great place.
However, his future with Celtic is still in doubt, and this time on the sideline could impact his international career as well.
"Sadly for Mikey he is going to be out for a few more months," Rodgers said. "He had an issue with his back, sadly, so he’ll probably be out for near-on three months."
"His job is to convince myself and the coaches that he is ready for a place," he said. "It’s the players’ responsibility and they have to show the quality and consistency and robustness in order to play and that is the job of every player."
It's bad news for Kenny as well who is preparing for a 'make or break' month in September when his side faces both France and Holland, in an attempt to salvage a place in the play-offs for Euro 2024.
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