'Magic' Mikey Johnston outlines West Brom target

After returning on a four-year deal two days before the summer transfer window slammed shut, Johnston is eager to build on the improvements he made under Albion boss Carlos Corberan.

He said: “I want to hit the ground running again. I feel like I improved a lot under the manager straight away and was getting better and better.

“I know at the end of the season there wasn’t enough goals but I was in positions and doing the right things.

“Physically I feel even better than I have for a couple of years. I feel I can kick on again and be an even better player.

“I’m ready to go now. I had a little bit of a hamstring pain at the end of the season. But I was trying to get into the Premier League so I was going to play through anything at that point.

“This is where I’m focused. I’ve got a job in front of me now and this is what I’m focused to do, to get us up.”

Johnston, who could make his ‘second debut’ against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Sunday, was also flattered by the reported £3million price tag paid to bring him back to the Hawthorns.

“It shows the manager wants me and what the manager says was true – he was going to do whatever he could to bring me back and thankfully I’m back here,” he smiled.

Albion are among the early pace setters in the second-tier with three wins from four games powering them to within two points of leaders Sunderland.

Spaniard Corberan will be looking to go one better this season by securing Albion’s long-awaited return to the Premier League after a four-year hiatus.

Johnston has worked under the likes of Ange Postecoglu, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon during his seven-year stay in the first team at Celtic Park.

But despite only working under him for four months, the Republic of Ireland international ranks Corberan as one of the “best managers” he has had in his career.

“His passion is there every single day,” he continued. “I think he’s one of the best managers I’ve had in terms of just being tactically very good.

“At Celtic, it’s been different. I’ve played against a low block every single week for years. Everyone just sits off you. So it’s good to go and learn different styles of football. Maybe in games away from home you’re not going to have the ball.

“There’s a lot you can learn from things like that and we learn a lot from the TV behind us in terms of tactical stuff.

“I’ve learned so much in four months, so four years from now, how much am I going to have learned?”