GLASGOW, United Kingdom — Glasgow Celtic are waiting on the results of a scan on Canadian international defender Alistair Johnston, who was taken off the field on a stretcher after suffering a head injury in Wednesday's 2-1 win at Hibernian.
Johnston was hurt early on in a clash of heads with Hibs' Australian defender Nectarios Triantis as both players went for a ball in the air. The play resulted in a penalty for Celtic.
“He won’t be available for the weekend," Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers told a news conference Friday ahead of Sunday’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup fifth-round tie against St. Mirren. "We think he's got a slight fracture over by the side of the head. We're waiting on that (scan)."
A social media post after the game showed Johnston, who joined the Scottish powerhouse in December 2022 from CF Montreal, giving a thumbs-up from a hospital. Celtic said the Canadian was at the club's training centre on Friday.
The 25-year-old Johnston, who was born in Vancouver but grew up in Aurora, Ont., has won 39 caps for Canada and has been a fixture for both club and country.
Johnston is the second high-profile Canadian to be injured in recent days. Bayern Munich fullback Alphonso Davies suffered a ligament strain in his left knee during Bayern’s 3-1 Bundesliga win at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach last Saturday.
Canada's next game is March 23 in Frisco, Texas, where the 48th-ranked Canadians will face No. 96 Trinidad and Tobago in a Copa America playoff.
There was no immediate word on when Davies might return.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2024
The Canadian Press
