Alastair Johnston’s return to Celtic puts some steel in a side that needs it.

There are moments in football when a player does not just return. He arrives again, almost as if the team itself has been waiting for him to bring something back to life.

That is how I feel watching Alistair Johnston pull on the Hoops again after his time away. It is not just about a right-back coming back into the side. No. It is about presence. Authority. That quiet, steely leadership which does not shout for attention but commands it anyway.

I’ve missed him. I’ll say that straight.

Because although Arajuo was great, and his passion was clear, when I watch Celtic without AJ, I feel something slightly off-balance, like a tune played just a fraction out of key. When he is back, everything feels a little steadier. Everything sharpens.

There is calmness, but there is also an edge. That sense that Celtic are harder to beat, harder to break and harder to bully. Alistair Johnston is not just a player in this team. He is structure and discipline. He is intensity wrapped in intelligence. More than that, he is trust.

He is the kind of player you don’t worry about, because you know exactly what you are getting from him. Consistency. Fight. Quality.

Celtic signed him under Ange Postecoglou. There was curiosity, of course. There always is with new signings. But there was something else too. Something about him felt right. You can tell a lot about someone based on how they start. Look at that debut. Away from home. At Ibrox. Against them.

Now tell me honestly, how many players walk into that furnace for their first game and not only survive, but stand tall? How many take that pressure, that noise and that hostility, then turn it into a stage? He did.

Not in a “he did okay” kind of way either. He played like he belonged there.

Like he had been there for years. Like he understood, instantly, what it means to wear that jersey in that fixture. That takes more than ability.

It takes character, nerve and leadership.

Sometimes you can spot it early. That rare kind of player who does not need time to become a Celtic player. They simply are one from the very start.

Johnston carried himself like a leader from that first step.

That is why, when people now speak about him as a potential future captain, I don’t laugh it off. I don’t dismiss it as premature. I actually nod along, because I can see it.

Leadership is not always about armbands and shouting. It is about standards. How you perform when it matters. It is about the example you set when things are tough, not just when everything is flowing. Johnston is that kind of player.

He does not hide. AJ does not drift. He does not disappear when the game turns messy. If anything, that is when he becomes even more important. He digs in. He sharpens up and demands more, not through theatrics, but through action.

That is captain material. It’s there when you listen to his interviews as well. He speaks well and with passion, like a guy who is unflappable. He is intelligent, articulate and unafraid to say what he thinks.

I dare to say that Alistair Johnston has something of Callum McGregor about him. A true leader. Someone who represents the team, supports those around him and sets an example, especially on the hard days.

There is something deeply comforting about having players like that in your team. Especially in a side like Celtic, where expectations are relentless and every weakness gets magnified.

We have all seen the games where Celtic lack edge. The moments where we switch off. The periods where the team looks unsure of itself.

In those moments, players like Johnston become vital.

Let me be straight. He is not flashy in the way some fans crave. He will not always grab the headline. But football is not built on headlines. It is built on reliability, structure and players who make the whole system work. That is him.

Maybe that is why I feel this emotional pull watching him return. Because in a team that sometimes frustrates me, sometimes repeats the same mistakes and sometimes loses its way, Johnston feels like certainty.

Maybe that is why his return feels bigger than just “a player back from injury” or “a player back after a break.” It feels like Celtic are getting a piece of their identity back. A reminder of what this team can be when the standards are right.

Because make no mistake, Celtic need players like him now more than ever.

This is a period where questions are being asked. About the squad. About direction and ambition. In times like that, individuals who embody the right mentality become crucial.

Johnston does that. He does not just play for the badge. He understands it. You can see it in how he approaches the game, how he handles the pressure and how he refuses to be rattled by the occasion. That is rare.

That is why his debut at Ibrox still sticks with me. It was not just a good performance. It was a statement. A declaration that he was not here to ease himself in. He was here to compete, to lead and to belong. He has lived up to that ever since.

So now, as he steps back onto the pitch after time away, I don’t just see a returning player. I see a pillar. A foundation piece. Someone who can help steady the ship when things wobble.

And yes, I can absolutely see him as a future captain of this club.

Because captains are not just chosen. They reveal themselves over time. Through moments, consistency and character. Alistair Johnston has been revealing that side of himself from the very beginning.

I trust him and believe in him. I know I’m not the only one.

Seeing him back matters more than people might realise. Sometimes, it is not the loudest players who shape a team. It is the ones who simply refuse to drop their standards.

In a Celtic side searching for clarity, direction and that bit of steel again, having him back feels like a step in the right direction.

There is something poetic in it, isn’t there? That a right-back, a position so often overlooked, can carry such weight in how a team feels. But he does. He really does.

I think about that debut at Ibrox. The noise. The chaos. The pressure. The way he stood there, unshaken, like he had been carved for that very moment. Now I think about him coming back, steady as ever, ready to slot in and lift Celtic again.

It just feels right. Because Celtic, to me, has always been about more than talent. It is about heart. Resilience. Players who get it without needing it explained.

Johnston gets it. As I watch him pull on that jersey again, I feel that flicker of belief growing just a wee bit stronger.

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