Martin O’Neill reveals what he told Alistair Johnston after injury setback

Alistair Johnston has suffered another injury setback and is expected to be out until October, but Celtic manager Martin O’Neill is confident the defender has the mentality to overcome the latest disappointment.

The 28-year-old had been attracting interest from Everton, with a move to the Premier League appearing increasingly possible. However, those plans have been thrown into doubt after Johnston was forced off at half-time during Celtic’s 5-1 victory over Kilmarnock.

The injury was initially considered precautionary, but subsequent scans revealed a more serious hamstring problem. Johnston endured a lengthy spell on the sidelines last season after undergoing surgery on a similar injury, missing around six months before returning to help Celtic complete a league and Scottish Cup double.

O’Neill admitted the latest setback is a major blow and suggested it may have prevented Johnston from securing a move to the Premier League.

“It is a blow. He put himself out there for us to play the game and it probably stopped him from getting to the Premier League,” O’Neill said.

However, the Celtic boss praised Johnston’s character after speaking to him about the diagnosis.

“He’s a strong character. He was injured when I came in last October and needed surgery, but he was remarkably upbeat,” O’Neill explained.

“I spoke to him after the news and he shrugged it off as if to say, ‘that’s life’.”

Johnston is now expected to remain sidelined until sometime in October, which is several weeks longer than initially anticipated.

The injury came as a surprise given that Johnston had completed Celtic’s opening league fixture without any apparent problems. He felt something shortly before half-time against Kilmarnock, but the initial belief was that the decision to take him off was simply precautionary.

“The results of the scan are really disappointing,” O’Neill admitted.

The good news for Johnston and Celtic is that he is not facing another six-month absence like the one he suffered last season. Nevertheless, his absence will leave the Hoops short at right-back during an important period of the campaign.

Celtic are guaranteed European football and Johnston is expected to miss at least three matches, regardless of whether those fixtures come in the Champions League or Europa League.

O’Neill has already indicated that Celtic will explore the transfer market for additional cover. Colby Donovan and Anthony Ralston are currently the main options at right-back, with Donovan expected to start Tuesday’s second leg against LASK after impressing in the first meeting.

However, Johnston’s latest injury means Celtic are likely to need further reinforcements in the position, while the club also has another area of the squad to address before the transfer window closes.