Alistair Johnston insists relentless Celtic want to build on their world record season by landing another Treble and Champions League knockout stage football next season.
Ange Postecoglou might look certain to leave his position at Parkhead to take over at Spurs but Johnston is adamant the Hoops cannot stand still. The Canada international is still pinching himself after playing his part in the history making eighth domestic clean sweep - only 20 games into his Hoops career after being signed by Postecoglou in January.
But it’s only the start of the dream for the 24-year-old and he wasn’t shying away when asked how they beat the last 12 months next time round. Johnston said: “It’s going to be, can we do a Treble again? And can we make that next step in the Champions League? That’s where this club belongs and what we need. I feel like we need to take those next steps.
"That was one of the reasons I wanted to come to Scotland because there was that ambition to do something more in Europe. And that’s where my mind’s at now. We need to start the season right on the front foot and take that form into the Champions League.”
Celtic returned to the group stages of Europe’s premier cup competition this season but only managed to glean two points from six games against Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk. It was a tough learning school that was bookended with a 3-0 home defeat to La Liga giants Real and a 5-1 thumping in the Bernabeu. But they’ve earned their place back in among the big boys after romping to the title with four games to spare.
Their domestic dominance was cemented with League Cup and Scottish Cup triumphs. And Johnston is pinching himself at the extraordinary achievement which he insists cements Postecoglou’s side among the Parkhead greats - even if he admits it must feel almost ordinary for skipper Callum McGregor who has played a part in five of the club’s eight clean sweeps.
Johnston said: “When you look at it, it’s the fifth Treble in the past eight years. For guys like Cal, it’s something that becomes almost ordinary but if you look at the history of this football club, it’s unbelievable history, it’s only the eighth Treble.
“So we have put ourselves in a pretty special group. That hasn’t really sunk in with us all yet but we have put ourselves in the history books. That’s all you can ask for. To cap off six months with a Treble is exactly what I wanted when I picked up the call from the gaffer. I’m really happy with it. It’s a good start to life at Celtic.”
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