Alistair Johnston now has a fellow Canadian internationalist living in Glasgow.
Celtic’s transfer deadline day was memorable for all the wrong reasons, as they failed to bring in a quality striker to replace Adam Idah.
Sebastian Tounekti was the only man dealt in as the winger joined the Hoops from Hammarby in a transfer worth £5.2m.
On the other side of the city, Rangers spent £8m on Everton striker Youssef Chermiti and secured Derek Cornelius on a loan from Marseille.
And when Cornelius to Rangers was made official on Monday, Johnston was straight on the phone to his Canadian pal.
Johnston and Derek Cornelius become Celtic and Rangers rivals
Cornelius and Johnston have a combined 91 caps for Canada with the Celtic right-back just one year younger than the central defender.
And the new Rangers man explained that Johnston called him up telling him what to expect upon signing for one of Glasgow’s big two.
Cornelius revealed via the Daily Record: “He just gave me a little bit of insight on what to expect. We can be friends here in the international camp with Canada, but in Glasgow, we’re enemies. Like, don’t look at me.
“But it’s nice to know another Canadian is in the same city as you, even if he’s playing for the wrong club.
“It’s been kind of hectic. And I’ve not had so much sleep. Everything was set and ready to go for me to join Rangers.
“I wasn’t even sure I was going to travel with the team for Marseille’s last game at Lyon. But I ended up coming on as a first half substitute and then had to dash to the airport to fly to Glasgow during the night.
“I’ve heard so many good things about the team, the city, the atmosphere, the support. I’m just happy to experience it.”
Celtic now have two right-back injury concerns
Johnston is currently nursing a serious hamstring injury and will be on the sidelines for another few months after pulling up against Kairat Almaty.
It’s a huge miss for Celtic, with deputy Anthony Ralston filling in for the Canadian. But there’s now concerns over the Scotsman’s fitness.
That’s because Ralston has pulled out of the Scotland squad alongside Kieran Tierney, but it is unclear what the reasoning behind each withdrawal is.
Ralston was seen taking painkillers against Kairat Almaty in Kazakhstan, but he did feature in the 0-0 draw with Rangers on Sunday.
Perhaps Celtic have made a precautionary decision to ensure Ralston does not injure himself further on international duty.
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