Canadian international fullback Alistair Johnston had surgery on his hamstring on Tuesday following a setback in his recovery from injury. The 27-year-old player, hailing from Aurora, Ontario, initially got injured during Glasgow Celtic’s Champions League match against Kairat Almaty on August 20. Although he made a return against Sturm Graz from Austria on October 23, he could only play for 23 minutes.
Johnston, who has represented Canada in 56 matches and has been a crucial player under the guidance of coach Jesse Marsch, shared the news of his surgery through a social media post. He expressed his optimism about the successful surgery marking the first step towards overcoming his injury woes and emphasized his eagerness to return fully fit later in the season to help in the title race and the upcoming World Cup on home soil.
His teammate at Celtic, Callum Osmand, also underwent hamstring surgery, leading Celtic’s interim manager Martin O’Neill to comment on the extended absence of both players. O’Neill mentioned that Johnston’s surgery was necessary due to the findings from a scan revealing hamstring damage and a tear, highlighting the quality of the player and the unfortunate circumstances of the injury.
In addition to Johnston and Osmand, coach Marsch is currently dealing with the absence of several other players ahead of the upcoming friendlies against Ecuador and Venezuela in November. The injured list includes captain Alphonso Davies, Moise Bombito, Sam Adekugbe, Jacob Shaffelburg, Liam Millar, and Luc de Fougerolles.