Martin O’Neill has provided an update on Alistair Johnston as Celtic head into the final stretch of the season, with the right-back working his way back to full fitness.
Johnston returned to action recently after a spell out, and his minutes are being built up carefully. The timing matters. Celtic have key league fixtures ahead, and the right side has looked different without him.
In his absence, Celtic have often lacked that overlap from deep on the right. The winger ahead of him has had to receive the ball with less support, which slows attacks and makes it easier to defend. Johnston changes that when he’s fit.
His return gives O’Neill another option. Not just in terms of selection, but in how Celtic approach games. He can push high, stretch the pitch, and recover quickly when possession turns over, and speaking about his squad ahead of the weekend, O’Neill addressed where Johnston is.
He said: (Celtic FC YouTube), “We’re up, we’re not too bad in that sense. Nobody else really, really coming back.
“But we’ve got Alistair Johnson, we got some time here last week, and that’s another week for him.
“Obviously, he’s trying to get up to full fitness, but that’s a boost for us because he’s been a big loss throughout the season.”
The key with Johnston is what he brings without the ball as well as with it. He steps in early to press, which allows the winger to stay higher. That changes the shape of Celtic’s press and keeps the opposition pinned in.
When he isn’t there, Celtic tend to drop a few yards deeper on that side. It becomes harder to lock teams in, and attacks take longer to build.
His minutes against Falkirk showed where he is. Not fully sharp, but moving well enough to get through the game and even take on responsibility late on.
The next step is rhythm. Games like Hibernian away will test that. There will be less space, and he’ll need to pick moments to go forward.
Celtic don’t need him at full pace straight away. They need him available. That alone changes the options on the bench and how O’Neill can manage the final weeks.
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