Celtic: Transfer target Alistair Johnston slammed after struggling for Canada in World Cup defeat

Journalists have slammed Celtic transfer target Alistair Johnston after he struggled in Canada’s latest World Cup clash. 

It seems as though the Bhoys will be signing a new defender this winter, and trusted insider Fabrizio Romano has recently reported that the Montreal man is close to agreeing a move to Glasgow.

With that being the case, a number of Celtic fans likely would have had their eyes firmly on Johnston as he featured in the World Cup at the weekend.

However, they might not have been too impressed, as he seemed to struggle somewhat as Canada were thumped 4-1 by Croatia despite taking the lead thanks to an Alphonso Davies header in the second minute.

That is certainly the view of journalists Matt Barlow and Jake Fenner, who collaborated on the Daily Mail’s player ratings for the game and handed Johnston a 5/10 for his efforts.

TIF Thoughts on Alistair Johnston and Celtic…

Part of the issue for Johnston was the fact that as the right-back, he was tasked with stopping Croatian left-winger Perisic. In the same Daily Mail player ratings, it’s noted that the Tottenham Hotspur man provided two assists and was a ‘perfect’ teammate.

This shows that the Canadian defender really did fail in his biggest task on the night – albeit against world-class opposition. According to Sofascore, he also lost the ball 15 times, failed with all four of his attempted crosses and was dribbled past three occasions.

Evidently, it was not a great day at the office for Johnston, but the fact he is representing his country at the World Cup in the first place is still promising for Celtic. Clearly, they think there is enough talent there to tempt them into striking up a deal this winter.

If he does join, it’ll be interesting to see how he gets on in Scotland. He’s unlikely to come up against any wingers as good as Perisic, at least.