Celtic boss Martin O'Neill has provided a fresh update on Alistair Johnston after the right-back's recent setback. Johnstone had been out for around two months when he finally returned off the bench during the weekend's win over Hibs.
But within 21 minutes, the Canadian international had to be replaced due to discomfort in the hamstring that had kept him out for the last couple of months. It was a bitter blow for a player who has clearly worked hard to come back from his recent issues, and the defender also had a tough time of things last season.
Johnston missed much of last season with a long term injury before coming back and playing an important part in the league and cup double, while he also went on to play a key role for Canada during the World Cup.
Johnston is going to be out until after the upcoming international break, which starts a week on Monday, and the hope is that he can return after that, as long as there are no fresh setbacks.
“That’s what we’re hoping for, really,” O’Neill told BBC Scotland on Friday.
“Naturally, a disappointment, really, because even the length of time that he was on the field, which was not long, he looked commanding again.
“He’s been a big miss and he’s been a big miss last season as well too to the team, even though we eventually got through essentially without his services for long periods of time. Of course, Carter-Vickers has missed the whole season.
“But back to Alistair, yeah, we’re hoping that it’s not as serious, you know. And so the medical team are pretty happy with it.”
The fact that the injury does not appear serious is a major boost, and it could have been very different. Had Johnston not been truly ready and found himself giving an intense chase on a tough European night, this situation could have gone a lot worse. It's a let-off, and perhaps a warning to the medical team.
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