Celtic have been handed a boost over Alistair Johnston’s injury, with Martin O’Neill hopeful the defender could return sooner than expected.
Johnston has been sidelined since Celtic’s trip to Kilmarnock, where he was withdrawn at half-time after feeling something in his hamstring.
There was no obvious sign of the Canadian pulling up, but he reported the issue and Shaun Maloney, who was in the dugout with O’Neill unavailable that day, opted not to take any chances.
The decision was understandable given Johnston’s injury problems last season.
The right-back endured a difficult campaign with two separate hamstring injuries and had hoped to put those issues behind him this season.
Instead, another hamstring problem has disrupted his start to the campaign.
There is now some encouragement, however, with O’Neill suggesting Johnston could be back in action sooner than initially expected.
The 27-year-old was included in Celtic’s UEFA Europa League squad last week despite still recovering from the injury, with the competition getting underway next week.
Asked whether Johnston could return for the crucial European fixtures after the international break, O’Neill said: “That’s what we’re hoping.” [SunSport]
Johnston’s injury had a major impact on his summer. The defender had been close to completing a move to Everton, but the Premier League club’s interest cooled after he suffered the hamstring problem at Kilmarnock.
Celtic ultimately kept hold of Johnston, and the club will now be hoping he can get back to full fitness and put another frustrating injury spell behind him.
With the Europa League campaign about to begin, getting the Canada international back could provide O’Neill with a significant boost.
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