Ange Postecoglou is hopeful that Alistair Johnston will be fir in time for the Scottish Cup final.
The Celtic full back was forced off during their semi-final win over Rangers at Hampden and celebrated on crutches with a moon boot on as fans feared the Canadian’s season could be over as he lapped up yet another win over their Glasgow rivals to book a June 3 date with Inverness CT.
That remains the target and while Postecoglou wasn’t ruling anything in or out, he did suggest that Johnston could be back on the pitch before the campaign comes to a close. This Sunday’s potential title clincher against Hearts at Tynecastle will come too soon, as will the following week;s trip across town to take on Rangers for the final time this season. But the former CF Montreal man is still in with a chance of making the showpiece occasion next month.
The Parkhead boss said: "He got a significant knock. We will see. There is still a chance he will be available before the end of the season but it will be a week-by-week thing and we will see how he goes.
"Cameron (Carter-Vickers) will be out until the start of next season and James Forrest is probably a week away. The only other new one is Stephen Welsh who picked up a knock in training. Everyone else is good to go."
Carter-Vickers has gone under the knife already to ensure he’s back in time for pre-season this summer. Postecoglou added: "He has already had the surgery and the reports are that it went really well and he should be right for the start of the season, to begin the season, which is great news for us," Postecoglou said.
"It's something he has carried for a significant part of this year but he was really keen to play, particularly up until last weekend knowing what the game meant for our season.
"But it's fair to say he hasn't been able to train at the levels he wants to and can sometimes perform, but he has never used that as an excuse.
"He was outstanding for us this year and it's great for him to get it seen to now and know that at the start of the season he will be ready to go."
READ NEXT:
