Joe Hart thinks the January transfer swap that Celtic enacted in the right-back position is a perfect example of the club’s quest for constant improvement.
Ange Postecoglou moved quickly to bring in Canadian international Alistair Johnston after the World Cup before sanctioning Josip Juranovic’s exit to Union Berlin. It was a slick sequence of events with Johnston effectively up and running in the manager’s starting eleven before Juranovic headed off to Germany.
Hart formed a close bond with Juranovic as part of last season’s double-winning squad and reckons the Croatian will always find love for him in Glasgow. However, he also reckons Johnston has quickly shown he has what it takes to step into the role.
Joe Hart pleased with Celtic January business
He said [Sunday Post, 17/04 print edition, Post Match supplement page 5]: “I think it has been a great message for all of us. As important and lucky as all of us are – and we have all earned our place in the team – the reach of this club, and the draw for people to come and improve their careers, is there.
“Jura was only here for a short time, but I think he will forever have a huge place in people’s hearts. First and foremost, he is a beautiful person – and he was an exceptional player too. His form for Croatia went up from being here. His world status went up, and he was happy.
“He moved on. But that also presented a huge opportunity for Alistair. He has come in and more than proven he is ready to be a part of it. He has kept improving, his status is up and the club’s status is up. This is a club that people want to be part of. And those two players are a great example of that.”
Johnston’s 16 appearances to date certainly suggest he can be a viable first-choice pick in the Celtic team next season. The 24-year-old plays with passion, physicality and skill – also proving to be a hit with fans off the field too in media appearances and club events. He’s absolutely relishing his big move to Celtic.
Hart has been around football long enough to know that fairytale relationships between players and clubs are few and far between. There’s always going to be transfer movement these days, except for a few very rare cases. What counts is the impression players leave while they are here. Juranovic left a good one and right now, it looks like Johnston will too.
You can’t really ask for more than that.
In other news, Yuki Kobayashi gets the big Celtic thumbs up he needed.
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