Celtic's Alistair Johnston Ruled Out Until October: Defensive Concerns Grow

Celtic have been dealt a fresh defensive blow, with Alistair Johnston ruled out until October, Martin O'Neill has confirmed.

The 27-year-old Canada international, who missed most of last season with a hamstring problem, was forced off at half-time in the second league game of the campaign against Kilmarnock. Hopes that it was precautionary have disappeared after a scan confirmed another significant lay-off.

“There was definitely something there, and I think the prognosis is really that it will be some time in October for him,” O'Neill said, speaking before Celtic’s Champions League play-off second leg away to LASK.

For Johnston, it is another brutal interruption just as he was trying to re-establish rhythm and consistency. For O’Neill, it sharpens a concern he has been hinting at for weeks: Celtic’s defence is light.

Full-back shortage exposes transfer priority

Celtic spent the summer adding firepower and being linked with midfield reinforcements, but the back line now looks like the most fragile part of the squad.

“If you consider that Kieran [Tierney] is essentially our only left-sided full-back, we'll have a little look,” O’Neill admitted. The remark underlined how thin the options have become across both flanks.

He made it clear, though, that nothing will distract him from the immediate European task.

“I really will not concentrate on anything at all until after the game, regardless of what the result is or whichever competition we happen to be in.

“We’ve got some days before the transfer deadline [3 September], and I hope that we will get some people in.”

Names have already been floated. Ermin Mahmic of Slovan Liberec and Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis have both been linked, but O’Neill insisted there was “nothing further to report” on either player. The message: interest exists, but nothing is close enough to move the dial yet.

Quality over quantity as rebuild continues

O’Neill also pushed back on the idea that Celtic’s squad has been stripped bare.

“I was told some weeks ago that we'd lost 14 players and we'd only replaced them with two at the time,” he said. “But I think the whole thing was balanced out.”

Several of those departures were loan players who were never expected to stay, and O’Neill stressed that padding the numbers was never the plan.

“I think that we could fill up the squad if you wanted to, with loads of names. But it was a bit of quality that we were looking for because that eventually would be, I think, of paramount importance between now and January.”

The approach is clear: fewer signings, higher impact. Johnston’s injury, though, may test that resolve as the fixtures pile up.

Young cover steps up on the right

In Johnston’s absence, 19-year-old Colby Donovan has stepped into the spotlight. The teenager impressed in the 3-0 first-leg win over LASK at Celtic Park, showing enough composure and energy to suggest he can cope with the stage.

Scotland international Anthony Ralston offers another option at right-back, giving O’Neill at least some flexibility as he navigates both domestic and European demands without his first-choice full-back.

Celtic now head into a pivotal European night and the final days of the transfer window with a clear dilemma: trust the youth and existing depth, or move decisively in the market to shore up a defence already stretched before autumn has even arrived.