Alistair Johnston has offered Celtic a lift as he edges closer to a return, with the defender outlining his target to full fitness.
The right-back’s season has been stop-start at best, derailed by persistent hamstring problems that eventually led to surgery. It has been a frustrating campaign for the 27-year-old, who has barely managed to build any rhythm.
Johnston outlined where he is in his recovery and what the next steps look like (TCW):
“In an ideal world, I would like to be back in time for the split. And I think that’s a realistic target, but at the same time, none of us are writing anything in stone.
“But if I need an extra week, then I will take an extra week. I don’t have an exact date.
“I have tried to do that in the past and you almost set false expectations for yourself and the coaching staff.
“We will all take it week by week. My fitness is coming along.
“It was difficult for me when I re-injured it from a medical and a mental standpoint.
“I am happy with how it is coming along. I feel strong and now it’s just about building up.”
There is a clear lesson taken from earlier in the season. Johnston returned in October after two months out, only to break down again. That misstep has shaped how he and the club are handling this latest phase.
He is not interested in rushing anything this time.
“The plan is to get a couple of good weeks’ training and hopefully get a friendly game, which would be set up when I get back.
“So I will be looking to kick on with the tail end of the season in Scotland and ideally lift a couple of trophies and be ready to go for the World Cup.
“When you do two months of individual sessions on your own, you are just desperate to kick a ball.
“I have only trained a couple of times with the Celtic first team last week, so it has been great to be in a training session and be around the guys.
“I just have to be smart about the hamstring because it’s such a finicky muscle and no matter how good you feel you still have to give it time and really listen to it because it’s one of those ones that gets to 90 per cent pretty quickly and that can trigger you into a false sense of security, which it did the first time round for me and I have learned my lesson.
“I want to get back as quickly as I can, but the most important thing is when I come back, I want to stay back.”
“But all the testing has been good and it’s about listening to the doctors.”
Celtic have lacked his presence.
When Johnston is fit, he is one of the most reliable performers in the side, aggressive in his defending and consistent going forward. That has been missing during his absence, especially as the season has tightened.
His return would come at a crucial point.
Johnston will not fix everything on his own, but getting him back, properly fit, would give Celtic something they have not had for months, a settled option in a position that has been anything but.
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