Mikey Johnston situation at West Brom explained as Derby County plot move | OneFootball

Mikey Johnston was absent from West Brom's squad on Sunday due to injury, despite reports linking him to Derby County

West Brom head coach James Morrison has revealed that Mikey Johnston missed out on their win over Burnley due to an ankle setback, rather than any reported interest surrounding him.

The Baggies have come through two difficult opening games with maximum points, backing up their opening-day away win at Norwich City with an impressive 3-1 victory against recently relegated Burnley on Sunday.

What's more impressive is that they've done both without last season's creative outlet, Mikey Johnston.

The Irishman had a much-improved campaign at the Hawthorns last season, despite West Brom's overall struggles. Only Gus Hamer, Sorba Thomas and Leo Scienza registered more assists than Johnston, who missed the entirety of their late-season surge with an ankle injury.

And it's that injury which saw him miss out on a place in the squad against the Clarets, rather than a possible move away.

James Morrison explains Mikey Johnston absence in Burnley win

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It was reported on Sunday morning that Derby County were looking to improve their creative options by making a move for both Ipswich Town's Anis Mehmeti and Johnston, which made the latter's omission from the Baggies squad mere hours later a little concerning.

West Brom boss Morrison made sure to put to rest any worries about the two being linked, though, as he explained why the 27-year-old missed out completely on Sunday.

"No, that's far off it. He's got a knock to his ankle," Morrison said, bluntly, per the Express and Star.

That report also says that the links between Derby and Johnston are off the mark. The Irishman was in attendance at the Hawthorns on Sunday to support his teammates, and has been involved in squads already this season.

Johnston came off the bench in the EFL Cup against Rotherham United a fortnight ago, before being an unused substitute against Norwich on the opening day. Evidently, he's still part of Morrison's plans, but the injury he sustained at the tail end of last year is still lingering in parts.

How West Brom fans reacted to Derby County's interest in Mikey Johnston

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Baggies fans must be breathing a huge sigh of relief at the news surrounding why Johnston was absent on Sunday, given their overall rejection of the idea he'd move on when the rumours began to swirl yesterday.

"@dcfcofficial hands off or else," one West Brom fan said on X. "Surely we don’t sell this late on?" another questioned.

"Doubt we would get rid if hes our only winger lol," and "We can’t allow that surely," were also among the replies to the news being circulated online.

Derby have already secured the arrival of experienced midfielder Alex Mowatt from West Brom this summer, but the overarching feeling is that he should be the only player making the move from the Hawthorns to Pride Park.

With the Irishman almost leaving last summer to Brazilian outfit Flamengo for £5 million, a divisional switch for anything less after the season he's just had would be incredibly difficult for Baggies fans to take.

Mikey Johnston would give a resurgent West Brom a massive creative boost

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Isaac Price deputised off the left wing in Johnston's absence towards the end of last season and has continued to do so this year, too. He was the Man of the Match on Sunday, scoring two second-half goals to help secure all three points.

While the Northern Irishman has been very good on the left, there's no doubting that once Johnston is fully recovered from his ankle issues, he'll take his place back, allowing Price to pull the strings from a more attacking midfield role.

There's a lot of optimism and excitement surrounding West Brom under James Morrison currently. It may only be two games, but they've shown enough to hint that the 10-game unbeaten run during his interim spell wasn't a case of a lengthy new manager bounce.

The former Baggies wideman is proving to be a hit in the dugout, and right now, you wouldn't blame players for wanting to stick around at the Hawthorns to help be a part of what he's building.

That seems to be the case with Johnston, who will definitely be a big part of the West Brom side in the future, once he's 100% fit again.