Delighted Canada boss boss John Herdman reckons Alistair Johnston's move to Celtic will be the first of many Canadian stars making the move to Europe.
The right-back has starred at the World Cup in Qatar with Canada and that's sparked widespread interest but Ange Postecoglou moved first, and the full back will be eligible to play once the transfer window reopens on January 1 and his CF Montreal exit is confirmed. Johnston was one of many Canadian stars who impressed during their World Cup campaign, even though they lost all three of their games and finished bottom of Group F.
Herdman reckons Johnston's move could be the catalyst for a host of Canadian players to make the move. He said: "I would now expect other players, after Alistair Johnston got his move, to attract the attention of European clubs. When arriving in Qatar, several of our players were unknown. I think a lot of them have built credibility.
"Collectively we performed well together, but there were definitely some good individual performances during the tournament. I feel we have a chance now to push more players into the top divisions and Alastair's move is a big step for Canada.
"We continue to push players into these environments, where they gain Champions League and Europa League experience, which is a great thing for us. We have played on the world stage and looking back, I know there are some things we did really well throughout this tournament.
"And then there are other facets. You look at those little moments and what you keep learning is the thin margins, the real thin margins at that level."
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