Alistair Johnston has praised Kelechi Iheanacho after his winner against Hibs.
Iheanacho scored his fourth goal in as many substitute appearances to secure a vital three points for Celtic in the title run-in.
Having been a background figure for much of the season, the Nigerian is finally emerging as a central character for Martin O’Neill with his goalscoring contributions.
And Johnston, making his own return from injury during the game, couldn’t help but laugh about Iheanacho’s composure.
Who was your Celtic MOTM vs Hibs??
Alistair Johnston: Kelechi Iheanacho is Celtic’s ice man
Asked about the well-taken winning goal after the game, Iheanacho said: “Kelechi’s heart rate, I don’t think ever gets above 60 beats per minute.
“How long he let that ball come down to his foot – it felt like time stopped. But that’s Kels.
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“And again, that’s what that quality can bring. And that’s what we have in this squad. We’ve got players that have played at really high levels and have that kind of quality.
“So it’s amazing to be able to bring a player like that off the bench. Just cool, calm, composed.
“He’s a bit of an iceman. That was obviously a massive goal for us. There’s no beating around the bush with that.”
Then asked about the importance of Celtic’s upcoming Glasgow Derby against Rangers, Johnston said: “I feel like every derby’s been massive since I’ve been here.
“Even if it hasn’t been as important potentially in the league table. Look, we’re just taking it day by day, match by match.
“And I know that sounds cliche and I come up here and I say that every time I’m up here, but it really is what it is for us.
Would you extend Kelechi Iheanacho’s Celtic contract?
“We’re looking at it that: we’ve just got to go win whatever matches [are] ahead of us. At this point, three league matches left and a cup final.
“If we can go out there, win four matches, we’ll see what happens. That’s kind of where our mindset is. But we’re not being naive in terms of we know how big that match is.
“We know how much it’s going to mean for our supporters. We also know what it means in the league table. But that final match of the season is also going to be a massive one.”
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