Alistair Johnston lifts lid on Celtic relationship with Josip Juranovic and says what is 'interwoven in DNA of club'

You would never know Alistair Johnston has been part of the Celtic set-up for barely more than a month.

The relentlessness demanded by Ange Postecoglou – hardly likely to be diluted by the straightforward-looking nature of a Scottish Cup tie at home to Morton on Saturday lunchtime – and the entertainment demanded by the club’s support are concepts the right-back doesn’t merely grasp. The Canadian international articulates what is incumbent on him following his £3.5million move from CF Montreal to forge the impression he has been steeped in that his whole life.

“It doesn’t matter who you are playing against, it’s always another opportunity to put in a career-best performance. An opportunity to get better and better each game and keep pushing,” Johnston said, parrotting a Postecoglou mantra as if it were second nature. We have very lofty ambitions at this club but at the same time we stay humble – no matter who is in front of us, we go out and perform, not just for ourselves but for our fanbase. This fanbase doesn’t just demand wins – they demand performances that get them out of their seats. They want to go home and tell their kids about what they saw so that their kids want to come to matches too. It’s that kind of passion and drive that this whole club has. It’s interwoven in the DNA of the club. We know that there is always another level to be unlocked, to be reached, and we’re always striving for that.”

The striving is irrespective of status. The expectation is that Josip Juranovic will move on before the window closes, with constant transfer speculation surrounding the Croatian international Johnston faced for his country in the World Cup. Yet he presents the man who could have switched off as switched on to helping the new signing blossom at Celtic. “He’s an unbelievable character,” said the 24-year-old. “No matter what’s been going on behind the scenes, he’s a great guy. He has taken me under his wing which has been really nice of him. Even at the World Cup, he talked to me after the match saying he was looking forward to being on the same squad, which was pretty cool. He’s been the ultimate professional. He comes in, works hard, trains unbelievably well. He’s another player I look up to, someone that I think I can take so much from and learn from. If I can add any bit of that dribbling skill he has, I’d take my game to another level altogether. I’m not sure what the future holds for him, but we hope it’s here at Celtic.”

Celtic's Alistair Johnston has no complaints over missing out on the recent Viaplay Cup semi-final win over Kilmarnock and instead places his focus on training hard every day to make it difficult to be left out. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

If that proved the case, then Johnston could face greater challenges for game-time. He wasn’t included in the matchday squad for the Viaplay Cup semi-final win over Kilmarnock – Juranovic on the right of defence – but refuses to lament that. “I understand that there is a lot of competition for spots,” the full-back said. “You come to one of these big clubs because of that – you don’t want to be a nailed-on starter every week, you want to have to earn every little thing you get. I completely understand that there will be times I’m in the squad and times I’m out of the squad. My job is to be fully fit, train hard every single day so that I make it a difficult decision for the manager to leave me out.”