GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - APRIL 20: Celtic's Alistair Johnston celebrates during a Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup Semi-Final match between St. Johnstone and Celtic at Hampden Park, on April 20, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Alistair Johnston hasn’t set a date for his return to action.
The defender is with the Canadian international squad but won’t be involved in the friendlies against Iceland and Tunisia.
Johnston has only started five matches this season with two of them ending with first half hamstring issues.
The fiery right-back was last season on October 26 when Celtic hobbled past Sturm Graz at a price.
Johnston, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kelechi Iheanacho all suffered injuries in that match with the impact felt on a weekly basis.
GENTLY DOES IT FOR JOHNSTON
The sight of the Canadian training at Lennoxtown and on international duty has raised expectations among Celtic fans.
Good news has been thin on the ground this season but Johnston believes that he is still a few weeks away from returning to action.
Discussing a comeback date The Sun reports the defender saying:
In an ideal world, I would like to be back in time for the split. And I think that’s a realistic target, but at the same time, none of us are writing anything in stone.
But if I need an extra week, then I will take an extra week.
I have tried to do that in the past and you almost set false expectations for yourself and the coaching staff.
We will all take it week by week. My fitness is coming along.
It was difficult for me when I re-injured it from a medical and a mental standpoint.
I am happy with how it is coming along. I feel strong and now it’s just about building up.
The plan is to get a couple of good weeks’ training and hopefully get a friendly game, which would be set up when I get back.
So I will be looking to kick on with the tail end of the season in Scotland and ideally lift a couple of trophies and be ready to go for the World Cup.
When you do two months of individual sessions on your own, you are just desperate to kick a ball.
I have only trained a couple of times with the Celtic first team last week, so it has been great to be in a training session and be around the guys.
The first post-split fixtures will be played on April 25/26, the weekend after Celtic’s Scottish Cup semi-final against St Mirren.
While Celtic pay his wages Johnston will naturally have the World Cup Finals in mind.
A third hamstring issue would rule him out of the once in a lifetime opportunity to play in a home World Cup.
Celtic are next in action away to Dundee on April 5, from his comments it seems certain that Johnston won’t be involved.
Quite right not to say as the bastards in Scotland will target him !