Brendan Rodgers has spoken of his delight at Alistair Johnston returning to the full training and his potential to be included this weekend against St Johnstone at Celtic Park. The Canadian international had been out injured for some time and could be about to wear the famous green and white hoops again for the first time in what feels like a long time.
Rodgers admitted that when he first saw Ally perform at the World Cup in Qatar he was mightily impressed by the defender and that when Celtic signed the no nonsense full-back, he was convinced it was a good one. “I remember seeing him at the World Cup,” he said via Football Scotland
.”He was outstanding for Canada. I thought at the time when he arrived in January it was a really good buy for Celtic. He’s a talented player and you get the sense from talking to him he’s very ambitious and committed. He wants to do well.”
The Irishman insisted it has just been a case of bad luck for Alistair he’s been sidelined since the former Liverpool boss came to the club again, following his dramatic return to Parkhead after parting ways with English side Leicester City. However, he knows that everyone at the club thinks very highly of Ally and he can’t wait to get started working with him. He said: “It’s just been a real shame with the injury he’s had that he’s been out. But Alistair is a really strong boy and speaking to the staff and the players, he’s really highly rated here. I’m looking forward to seeing him more.”
Johnston was a recruit from the American MLS and it’s another market that isn’t perhaps as well known as the major European ones or even the South American for that matter. Despite that, Rodgers thinks it’s a part of the globe that Celtic can hunt for more gems in moving forward.
He added: “Very. I think that’s why you see the strategy of Mark (Lawwell) and the guys, going to markets that were maybe untouched and the deals you can get in. You look at the Premier League or even the Championship. It’s a very expensive market for players and wages.
“That is a real challenge for a club like ourselves. Coming back here, that was something I had to understand better, and why I took that time to decide. The club has to be sustainable while being successful. But it’s understanding where it is at in terms of what you can and can’t do. I’ll always work with the players the club provide me and try to develop them to be best the possibly can. The hopefully makes the club successful and allows them to move on, make money and we go again.”
With only a week or so left in the summer transfer window, the Hoops faithful will be looking for more signings without question. If the recruitment team can bring in more of similar quality to Alistair Johnston, then I don’t think many would be unhappy. However, they have to be players of that ilk, even if they are unknown quantities to the supporters.
Paul Gillespie
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