Alistair Johnston has earned over 50 caps for Canada.
Along with becoming a key man at international level, the Celtic defender has also established himself as a leader in Brendan Rodgers’ side, starting almost every game when fit.
He will soon be back to doing that, after revealing a positive update on his injury which has kept him out of action for the last few weeks.
Johnston is approaching the third anniversary of his move to Glasgow, settling into Scottish life since making the move from CF Montreal.
But with his international friend and teammate Derek Cornelius completing a move to Rangers from Marseille, Johnston is having to think twice about helping him settle in.
Alistair Johnston on Derek Cornelius’ move to Rangers
Cornelius has gone into a very different situation that Johnston is in at Celtic – Russell Martin’s side are yet to win a league match.
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But when asked by the Park the Bus podcast on whether he would root for his international teammate at Ibrox, he made one thing absolutely clear.
Johnston said: “I love DC, but there’s not a single bone in my body that could root for them. I’ll tell you that much.
“Trust me, I’ve learnt and heard from other guys who have played between the Celtic and Rangers dynamic that have gone out for dinner, and that’s gotten out – it has not been pretty.
“So I told him pretty quickly – ‘I know Marseille is a serious club, but this is even crazier.’ Because you’re sharing a wall. I’ll probably try and sneak Derek out for a welcome meal, but then I’ll let him know that this is where we draw the line.”
Time will tell whether the pair can keep the ‘welcome meal’ secret. After a day of swimming in Loch Lomond, Cornelius will need it.
Home World Cup in the offing for Celtic’s Alistair Johnston
The 2026 World Cup holds extra significance for Johnston given that some matches will be played in Canada, as well as the USA and Mexico.
Given the climate issues which were highlighted during the 2025 Club World Cup in the USA, participating teams will probably be hoping to be allocated the games in Canada’s cooler venues.
Sebastian Tounekti was in the Tunisia squad as they sealed their place at the tournament last week, as Steve Clarke’s Scotland made a positive start to their qualifying campaign.
Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate are also among the Celts vying for a place at the tournament – but the latter was omitted from Japan’s most recent squad.
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