Celtic defender has opened up on the moment he genuinely feared his World Cup dream could be over after suffering a serious injury during the season.
The Canadian international admitted that just a few months ago, he was worried he would miss the biggest tournament of his career after being sidelined with a hamstring problem during Celtic’s title run-in.
With Canada preparing to co-host the World Cup, the timing could not have been worse.
“If you told me three months ago this was going to be the case, I would have snapped your hand off for it,” Johnston admitted as he reflected on his recovery.
At the height of the injury setback, the Celtic star says simply being fit enough to return in time for the tournament became his main goal.
“For me, with how the season was going, if I could be here fully fit was about maybe as good as I could ask for,” he explained.
The injury raised serious fears over whether he would be able to lead Canada into a home World Cup fully prepared. Missing the tournament was becoming a real possibility.
But after months of recovery work, Johnston returned to full fitness and played an important role in helping Celtic secure both the league title and Scottish Cup to complete the domestic double.
Now, instead of watching from the sidelines, he is preparing for the biggest moment of his career.
“You want to be playing not just for fitness, but also for form,” Johnston said. “You don’t want to be coming into the biggest tournament of your life feeling underprepared.”
The turnaround has been remarkable.
Just months ago, Johnston feared his World Cup dream was slipping away. Now he is set to captain Canada on football’s biggest stage — completing a recovery that once seemed impossible.
From injury nightmare to World Cup leader, the Celtic defender’s season has gone full circle.
