Alistair Johnston has returned to Celtic this week from Canada duty.
Johnston helped Canada overcome the USA in their CONCACAF Nations League third-place playoff defeat Celtic teammate Cameron Carter-Vickers’ side 2-1 in the SoFi Stadium.
The Hoops right back has been in sparkling form this season as Celtic chase another treble and progressed out of the Champions League group stage.
But after seemingly being urged by Jesse Marsch to leave Celtic, Johnston has sent a message to the Canada manager that will leave the Hoops support delighted.
Alistair Johnston tells Jesse Marsch playing for Celtic benefits Canada
Speaking during the international break, Johnston was clear that being at Celtic is helping his game at international level improve as he rejects Jesse Marsch’s apparent suggestion that he needs to leave Parkhead to improve as a footballer.
Johnston told One Soccer, “You’re playing against the best teams in the world, and then also it goes hand-in-hand with the national team.
“You’re getting that experience, playing the Champions League, playing against Kingsley Coleman, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, some of the best wingers that have graced a football pitch over the past decade.
“As a full-back, getting those experiences, seeing what those players are like and testing yourself to see, all right, how do I match up against these top, top players?
“What can I improve on and do I belong at this level? I think that’s something that I’ve definitely learned from these past experiences and I think it’s helping not only my career here at Celtic but also the national team level where I feel really comfortable.”
Johnston compares playing against Lionel Messi to performing in the Champions League for Celtic
For his country, Johnston has played against the likes of Mexico, USA, Netherlands and Argentina and the Celtic fullback has compared facing Lionel Messi to playing in the green and white Hoops in UEFA’s elite competition.
Johnston continued, “We played Argentina twice last summer. I was playing the same pitches as Messi. You can see what that level is, that top, top level. It does, as a competitor, push you on and inspire you to want to play at the highest level in every single moment.
“And that’s luckily what we get here at Celtic, especially in the Champions League and national team, in those big major tournaments. It’s been really cool to see my own growth.”
Johnston has 53 caps for Canada. During his time at Celtic, he has reached the quarter-finals of the Gold Cup and CONCACAF Nations League, the semi-finals of the Copa America and, of course, the semi-final of this year’s CONCACAF Nations League.
Quite why Johnston would jeopardise his form for club and country and look to move away from being an established player at Celtic is a strange viewpoint for Marsch to take.
Surely he should be encouraging his player to stay at his current club and build on what he’s achieving rather than risk moving and potentially having to start all over again.
Thankfully for the Celtic supporters, their Canadian star is happy at Celtic Park and is under contract to at least 2029.
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