Alistair Johnston opened up about how Brendan Rodgers changed his game at a press conference this afternoon ahead of the launch of voting for Celtic’s Player of the Year awards.
With Johnston’s role in the Celtic starting XI changing drastically over the last two seasons, the Canadian has seen himself become a key part of Celtic’s attack, with his overlapping runs combining effectively with wingers and midfielders.
He said: (Celtic FC), “Oh, he’s (Brendan Rodgers) been great in terms of when I came in. Obviously, I came in under Ange (Postecoglou), brought in to invert, and I kind of hit the ground running a little bit, but was still kind of starry-eyed a little bit, okay, just trying to find my place.
“And when he came in, he kind of really unlocked me in terms of he wanted me to be that fullback that bombed up and down and not only was a shutdown kind of defender, but also got up the park and was constantly overlapping. He saw that I had the ability to do that and he kind of really unlocked that between him and the help of John Kennedy.
“They’ve really kind of fine-tuned my game and brought me into probably my finest form that I’ve ever been in, especially I think that was probably the start of the season.
“So look, he’s been great for me. There’s no doubt about that and I’ve really enjoyed playing under him and hopefully that’ll continue for a long, long time.”
However, it’s also interesting to hear of the admiration Johnston has for John Kennedy. The former Celtic defender joined the Hoops’ coaching staff in 2014, and it speaks volumes that he has worked alongside four managers — including Rodgers across two spells.
Kennedy is a figure at Celtic who is often overlooked, but he is undoubtedly one of the best coaches the club has ever had. Not yet a manager in his own right, his long-standing presence on the coaching staff has seen him play a huge role in the club’s unbelievable domestic success over the last 11 years.
