Celtic's Alistair Johnston Ruled Out Until October

Celtic have been dealt an early-season blow with Alistair Johnston ruled out until October, Martin O'Neill has confirmed.

The 27-year-old Canada international, who already lost most of last season to a hamstring problem, was forced off at half-time in the second game of this campaign against Kilmarnock. Hopes it was only a minor setback vanished after a scan.

“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 a player who has already spent too long in the treatment room, it is another brutal interruption. For O’Neill, it sharpens an issue he has been circling for weeks: his defence needs help.

Defence under the microscope

Celtic have spent the summer adding attacking spark and being linked with a string of midfielders, but the back line now sits under the harshest light.

“If you consider that Kieran [Tierney] is essentially our only left-sided full-back, we’ll have a little look,” O’Neill admitted.

The message was clear: reinforcements are required. Just not yet.

“But 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 started to swirl. Ermin Mahmic of Slovan Liberec and Torino’s Gvidas Gineitis have both been mentioned, but O’Neill insisted there was nothing new to report on either front.

Quality over quantity

The manager also pushed back on the idea that Celtic’s summer has been an uncontrolled exodus.

“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. There were some of those players that we took on loan, that were going to be leaving anyway, weren’t going to be coming back. And it was a matter of trying to get a little bit of quality in.

“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.”

O’Neill wants fewer gambles, more guarantees. The margin for error, with European football on the line and a title race looming, is thin.

Young cover, big stage

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 composure in a high-stakes European tie. Scotland international Anthony Ralston offers another option at right-back, giving O’Neill at least some room to manoeuvre.

For now, Celtic head into a crucial Champions League night with a patched-up defence, a promising youngster holding the fort, and a manager who knows the clock is ticking towards 3 September.

The question is simple: can the recruitment catch up before the injuries start to dictate the season?