Alistair Johnston will join up with Canada, even as he works his way back from injury. The right-back has returned to training with Celtic, but his next step will now come away from the club rather than at Lennoxtown.
Canada boss Jesse Marsch has already made it clear Johnston won’t be used in matches. The plan is for him to train with the squad and build fitness, not to feature in games. That takes away some risk, but it still means Celtic won’t have full control over his progress.
Johnston hasn’t played in recent weeks, and there’s a difference between training and match sharpness. Full-backs need timing. They need to judge when to step in, when to overlap, and when to sit. That only really comes back through game situations.
Martin O’Neill spoke about it on Friday. He didn’t push back strongly, but it was clear he would have preferred Johnston to stay and work his way back at Celtic.
He said: (Celtic FC YouTube), “His national side want him to go for a week over there. We at this minute would probably prefer him to stay.
“We need to have some sort of bounce games or something like that there for him to play in here as soon as possible.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a big issue as long as he’s training somewhere.
“But now that he is getting close to being involved with us on a permanent basis, then it might be better if he does the work here.”
Celtic have managed without Johnston, but the right side hasn’t carried the same attacking threat. Assists haven’t come as often, with Julian Araujo strong defensively but lacking going forward compared to Johnston.
Defensively, he also brings a bit of certainty. He deals with runners early and doesn’t get caught too high when the ball is turned over. That matters in away games where things can get direct.
With Marsch ruling him out of matches, Johnston’s time with Canada will be about training. Celtic will still be watching closely. When he returns, the expectation is that he is closer to playing, not starting from scratch again.
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