Canadian national team fullback Alistair Johnston had hamstring surgery on Tuesday following a setback in his recovery from an injury.
The 27-year-old, hailing from Aurora, Ontario, sustained the injury during a Champions League match on August 20 against Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan. He made his comeback against Austria’s Sturm Graz on October 23 but was forced off after just 23 minutes.
Johnston, who has earned 56 caps for Canada and has been a vital player under coach Jesse Marsch, announced the surgery through a post on social media.
“The last few months have been among the toughest I’ve faced in my career,” he stated. “That said, I’m pleased to report that I successfully had surgery today to fix my hamstring, and I hope this marks the beginning of overcoming this injury once and for all.”
“I appreciate the support during this period and I’m eager to return to full fitness later this season for a title challenge and a home World Cup,” he added.
Johnston’s teammate at Celtic, Callum Osmand, has also had hamstring surgery.
“So they’re going to be out for a long time,” said Celtic’s interim manager Martin O’Neill, as quoted by the BBC.
O’Neill explained that Johnston’s surgery was necessitated by damage revealed in a scan.
“They had to wait a bit to get a clear view of the hamstring, and the scan indicated a tear as well,” he commented. “It’s really unfortunate because everyone agrees he’s a very talented player.”
Marsch is currently dealing with multiple injuries ahead of upcoming friendlies in November against Ecuador and Venezuela.
The list of injured players includes captain Alphonso Davies, Moise Bombito, Sam Adekugbe, Jacob Shaffelburg, Liam Millar, and Luc de Fougerolles.
