Celtic's Defensive Setback: Alistair Johnston Out Until October

Celtic have been dealt another defensive setback, with manager Martin O'Neill confirming that right-back Alistair Johnston will be sidelined until October.

The 27-year-old Canada international, who missed most of last season with a hamstring problem, was forced off at half-time in the second league game of the campaign against Kilmarnock. A scan has now confirmed fresh damage and another lengthy spell out.

“There was definitely something there, and I think the prognosis is really that it will be some time in October for him,” O'Neill said ahead of Celtic’s Champions League play-off second leg away to LASK.

Defensive worries amid attacking rebuild

Celtic have spent the summer sharpening their attacking edge and been linked with several midfield targets, but the back line is starting to look thin. O'Neill did not hide the fact that his defence now needs urgent attention.

“If you consider that Kieran [Tierney] is essentially our only left-sided full-back, we'll have a little look,” he admitted.

He was quick to stress, though, that recruitment talk is on hold until the European tie in Linz is out of the way.

“I really will not concentrate on anything at all until after the game, regardless of what the result is or whichever competition we happen to be in.

“We've got some days before the transfer deadline [3 September], and I hope that we will get some people in.”

For now, Celtic must patch things up from within. Nineteen-year-old Colby Donovan has stepped in for Johnston and caught the eye in the 3-0 first-leg win over LASK at Celtic Park, while Scotland international Anthony Ralston offers another option on the right.

Quality over quantity in late window push

O'Neill also moved to cool speculation around specific names. He said there was no update on reported interest in Ermin Mahmic of Slovan Liberec or Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis.

The manager instead framed the summer as a reset, not a scramble.

“I was told some weeks ago that we'd lost 14 players and we'd only replaced them with two at the time,” he said.

“But I think the whole thing was balanced out. There were some of those players that we took on loan, that were going to be leaving anyway, weren't going to be coming back. And it was a matter of trying to get a little bit of quality in.

“I think that we could fill up the squad if you wanted to, with loads of names. But it was a bit of quality that we were looking for because that eventually would be, I think, of paramount importance between now and January.”

So Celtic head into a pivotal European night with a 3-0 lead, a teenage right-back growing into the shirt, and their senior full-back ruled out for another two months. The clock is ticking towards 3 September. How decisively the club move in those final days may shape far more than just the first half of their season.