Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Alistair Johnston has undergone surgery on an ankle injury.
The defender first suffered the injury at the end of April in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup but recovered to play in the final SPFL match of the season then picked up a Scottish Cup winners medal from the victory over Inverness Caley Thistle on June 3.
After that he reported for international duty, playing for Canada on June 16 and 19 with an injury picked up in the second match, a 2-0 defeat to the USA.
Today Brendan Rodgers held a media conference, admitting:
Alistair had an issue when he came back from international duty. He has a slight problem with his ankle but he’s had that operation on his ankle, it’s been successful and he’s out here with us.
It’s probably a six to eight week injury but hopefully he’ll be back sooner than that. He’s progressed really well and it’s better to have it done at this stage of the season that some time into the season.
Six weeks takes us to the end of August, eight weeks takes us past the first Glasgow Derby and into the first international break of the new season.
Johnston returned ahead of schedule to play in the final of the Scottish Cup but after a demanding year featuring three World Cup matches and a transfer to another continent that commitment appears to have backfired.
With a very able back up there is no need to try and rush Johnston back for the Glasgow Derby on September 3, a full recovery is more important than being in place less than 100% of one particular fixture.
