Key Celtic player suffers injury on international duty

International breaks are always a risk for clubs as players could end up suffering injuries while away with their national teams. Unfortunately for Celtic, that is exactly what has happened this time around, with a regular starter in Brendan Rodgers' side picking up an issue although the extent of it is yet to be known.

The Canadian national team made some history by getting their first win over the United States in an away match for the first time in 67 years. For Alistair Johnston, it was a night to forget though.

Johnston had been amongst the starters for Canada as expected. But he had to come off in the 23rd minute of the game with what looked like a hamstring injury.

That is not good news for Celtic. Not only has Johnston been a regular starter for them but also one of the club's best performers so far this season. They would not want him to be out for any considerable length of time. That would disrupt the rhythm that he has found on the pitch.

Key Celtic player suffers injury on international duty

The extent of the issue is not clear yet. One can only hope that it was a precautionary change rather than one Canada absolutely had to make. As Larry Henry Jr tweeted when asked about the matter:

Let's see how the situation transpires. Celtic fans will be waiting to get an update on Johnston's situation as soon as possible.

If Johnston does end up missing any significant length of action, one would expect Anthony Ralston to take his place in the team. Although not ideal, the Scottish international has shown that he is very capable of filling in when needed and can come up with some big moments as well, as we have seen in the past.