CF Montreal & CanMNT defender Alistair Johnston responds to Celtic links
By Chris Smith
CF Montreal defender Alistair Johnston has admitted he would take the opportunity to move to Europe amid intensifying Celtic links.
It's understood the Scottish champions have come to an agreement with Montreal over the permanent transfer of the Canada international, with only a few small details left to be agreed upon by all parties.
Johnston - capable of playing as a full-back or a center-back in a back-three - is currently on duty with the CanMNT at the World Cup and put in an excellent performance as Les Rouges were only narrowly beaten by Belgium in their Group F opener - a continuation of his fine form in MLS with Montreal.
Naturally, reporters have begun quizzing Johnston regarding his future and although the defender was guarded about specific details, he couldn't help but admit his desire to test himself in Europe.
“There is only so much I can say right now but if an opportunity arises, sure," said Johnston. “I am really happy at Montreal and we have a great thing going, but at the same time I want to test myself, and I want to see how high I can go. That’s something that for all athletes deep down is in our DNA.
“You want to be competitive and push yourself to play against the best and see how high you can go. We never want to look back at our career and have the, ‘What if?’ question. I’ve nightmares thinking about that.
“I want to push the boundaries of what is physically capable for me. If that means going overseas, and trying to see what kind of level I can play at, then so be it. We will see how the World Cup goes and we will see what happens after that.”
Johnston featured in the top three among CF Montreal players in a number of key defensive metrics last season, including tackles, interceptions, and blocks, helping Wilfried Nancy's side finish second in the Eastern Conference.
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