West Brom ace Mikey Johnston aggrieved after England v Republic of Ireland decision
West Brom ace Mikey Johnston will have been “aggrieved” about not starting for the Republic of Ireland in their Nations League clash against England, BBC journalist Matt Gault has said.
Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side ended up losing the clash 5-0 at Wembley and Johnston could only watch on helplessly as an unused substitute despite impressing in the 1-0 win over Finland last time out.
Writing for BBC Sport’s live blog (17 November, 17:12pm), BBC journalist Gault shares his thoughts on Johnston’s exclusion prior to the game.
“It is worth noting, however, that Mikey Johnston is not starting,” he said.
“The West Brom winger was good against the Finns on Thursday, setting up Evan Ferguson’s goal, so can perhaps feel a little aggrieved”.
West Brom ace Mikey Johnston should have started for the Republic of Ireland
Johnston’s omission likely came as quite a surprise to both Baggies and the Republic of Ireland fanbases after his solid performance against Finland earlier in the week.
The 25-year-old hasn’t been in the best of form for Carlos Corberan’s men this season but he was impressive against Hull City before the international break and took that into the win over Finland.
Johnston has 11 appearances to his name for the Baggies this season but has registered only a single assist, yet it seemed a baffling omission to leave out one of the more creative talents in a game where England were likely to dominate.
In reality, the attacker’s inclusion might not have changed the outcome of the match due to England’s dominance but the odds would have likely been better for Hallgrimsson’s men if he was chosen to start.
The attacker often adds a new layer of attack to a team when he’s introduced and against a team of England’s calibre, that should have been something that was taken into account by his manager.
In other West Brom news, Carlos Corberan may be forced to axe Tom Fellows from his starting XI after what has happened recently.
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