Celtic have been boosted by the news that a “top player” who Brendan Rodgers loves could be unleashed against St Johnstone on Saturday, having recovered from injury.
Celtic look to maintain perfect start
The Hoops are back in action this weekend, knowing that a win will keep up their perfect start to the season in the league, following five wins in succession to date. Rodgers’ men once again look like the team to beat, as they look to seal yet more title glory, especially as Rangers’ hit-and-miss opening to the campaign has already seen them slip five points adrift of their rivals.
Celtic are a ruthless outfit who know how to churn out relentless runs of victories, and three more points at St Johnstone on Saturday evening would be another step in the right direction. Their weekend opponents sit 10th in the table after only winning once in 2024/25 to date, drawing once and losing four times, so it would be a surprise if the Hoops’ 100% record wasn’t still intact come Sunday morning.
That being said, the Scottish giants could have to make do without Cameron Carter-Vickers, who wasn’t seen in training on Friday, having missed last weekend’s 5-2 win over Falkirk in the Scottish League Cup.
Celtic handed injury boost regarding “top player”
According to Sky Sports Scotland, Alistair Johnston could return to the Celtic side for Saturday’s trip to St Johnstone, having trained with his teammates on Friday:
Having Johnston available would be the perfect antidote to Carter-Vickers not being around, with the 25-year-old becoming such an important player, winning two Scottish Premiership titles since arriving in January 2023.
It is clear that Rodgers loves him as a footballer, lauding his abilities last year by calling him a “top player” who is yet to even reach his height. Meanwhile, Pat Bonner is also an admirer, saying: “Johnston has settled in so well. People talked about (Josip) Juranovic being a star player but Celtic haven’t missed him – that’s how well Johnston has done.”
Johnston already has one goal and assist apiece to his name from his right-back role this season, as well as averaging two tackles per game, showing that he can provide attacking quality and defensive solidity in equal measure.
He is such a consistent performer for Rodgers, so having him in the starting lineup always makes Celtic a better team, even if he doesn’t necessarily earn some of the headlines that his teammates receive.
It would be a surprise if Johnston didn’t go straight back into the starting lineup against St Johnstone at the expense of Anthony Ralston, even though he is also a strong performer for the Hoops.
