Alistair Johnston has been dealing with fitness issues for a little while now. He played in the Scottish League Cup final against the Rangers but it is believed that he was not fully fit on the day. And the Celtic right-back has not featured since then. Naturally, that has led to worries among supporters that the Canadian international could miss the upcoming Glasgow Derby, set to be played at the start of 2025.
Johnston has been exceptional for Celtic this season, not only contributing at the back but at an impressive rate going forward as well. Naturally, the Hoops will want to have him available when they take on the Rangers.
There is some positive news in that regard. It looks like Johnston has been recovering and should hopefully be back available in the near future, in time for the trip to Ibrox to take on the Rangers at the start of 2025.
As reported by The Scottish Sun, when asked about the defender's current situation after the 4-0 win over Motherwell at Parkhead, Rodgers said:
"He should be okay for the weekend. We were hoping it was going to be today.
"But he's been out running, he's been out working, doing some really good work. So rather than force it, Tony's done great for us and comes into the game and does really well.
"We don't need to force it."
Celtic boss drops Alistair Johnston news amid derby miss worry
That will be music to the ears of Celtic fans. Johnston is a key part of this team and if he were out for any considerable length of time, it would have been a major blow for Rodgers' side. Fortunately, it looks like that is not going to be the case.
In the absence of Johnston, it is Anthony Ralston who has been starting at right-back for Celtic. And while the Scottish international has not always been a standout performer over his career for the Hoops, he certainly did a fantastic job against Motherwell.
That kind of depth is important for Celtic to have. It allows players the time to rest and recover rather than returning too soon and risking worsening the situation.