Celtic defender Alistair Johnston has a weapon that Ange Postecoglou can exploit to get the best out of the Canadian.
That is according to former Celtic man Steve Guppy who coached the youngster during his spell with Nashville FC. Guppy himself knows all about Parkhead when he joined Martin O'Neill's men back in 2001, spending two-and-a-half years in Glasgow with the Hoops. The English coach went on to take on a role in Tennessee where he spent time on the training ground with Johnston.
The 24-year-old has endeared himself majorly to fans since arriving in a £3million-plus switch from CF Montreal in January. Postecoglou even admitted one Zoom call with the infectious defender told him he would be a 'good fit' for Celtic with a stunning performance registered against Rangers last weekend. The Canadian seems to be a fitting replacement for ex-Celtic man Josip Juranovic.
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And Guppy insists there is a particular part of his game that 'sets him apart' from most defenders, that is his ability to play deadly right-footed crosses. This claim has proved fruitful as Johnston's only league assist came from a right hand side cross to Kyogo against Hearts.
He told the Celtic View podcast: "At Nashville, we wanted to help create a weapon for him. And his right foot crosses were something that he really took to quite quickly.
"I'm hoping - and I haven't seen much footage at Celtic - that he's really showing that. His right foot crossing ability is actually very good. That gave him that weapon that makes him stand out from others.
"That's what got him in to the Canadian national team and helped him claim his place. He's really got to work on trying to get better and make this weapon of crossing more effective.
"It's something that people don't work on enough [crossing]. The little details make all the difference."
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