The understated threat January recruit will bring to Celtic squad

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Celtic supporters were given more insight into January addition Alistair Johnston earlier this week, as he spoke to the mainstream and fan media.

The defender, who joined the Hoops from MLS side Montreal Impact, discussed many different topics, including meeting new teammate Josip Juranovic at the World Cup.

As is the case with any new signing, Johnston also provided the Parkhead faithful with some details of what we should be expecting from him as a player.

The Canadian international talked himself up as a more old-fashioned defender, likening his game to Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta, who has been a solid performer at the top level for many years now.

However, when looking at his performances for Montreal Impact in the MLS last season, maybe Johnston was being a little modest, and we can also expect quality from him going forward.

The demands on full-backs in Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side are extremely high, and I am sure the 57-year-old would have been doing his homework on Johnston.

Last campaign, Celtic’s second January recruit made 39 appearances for his old side and managed to pick up eight goal contributions.

In comparison, Josip Juranovic picked up ten contributions in 42 games for the Bhoys, and Anthony Ralston delivered 14 in 47 appearances.

So, Johnston wasn’t lacking too far behind whilst playing for the side that finished 2nd place in the Eastern Conference of the MLS.

The impressive aspect of Johnston’s output in front of goal in 2022 was how varied his goals and assists were for Montreal Impact.

The international defender scored four goals in the MLS last season, delivering a real mix of strikes, including efforts from outside the area and penalty box finishes, that any striker would be proud of.

One of his more fascinating goals came against New England Revolution. After hitting them on the counter, the defender found himself in the centre of the penalty area, in the ideal position to receive a squared cross into the box, before finishing the move off with a tidy first-time finish.

Not only are his goals for Montreal varied, but also his assists.

The Canadian looks as though he has plenty of qualities in wide areas, producing some fantastically weighted low and high crosses into the box.

At times, it appears Johnston would also take set pieces for the MLS side, and he set up a late goal in a game against Columbus Crew from a corner.

You can watch more of his highlights, including his goals and assists from last season, here.

Celtic recruitment team look to have done their homework adding all-round player to squad in January.

After Josip Juranovic’s performances at the World Cup out in Qatar, it is beginning to look increasingly likely that we could lose the right back in January.

However, we find ourselves in the ideal position, having already recruited the Croatian’s replacement for the right-back slot.

And it looks to have been another excellent pick-up by Ange Postecoglou and his recruitment team, who appear to have signed an old round player that is continuing to develop his game.

At 24 years old and having had a recent dramatic rise, there will still be plenty of aspects that Johnston will need to improve on.

But under the stewardship of Postecoglou, he is in the ideal hands, and he is going to improve massively under the former Socceroos boss, in my opinion.

A lot of the talk since Johnston’s arrival has been about his defensive capabilities. However, it looks as though the defender has plenty to offer going forward too.

In other news, Neil Lennon explains why ‘imperious’ Celtic might be too much for Michael Beale.