“He’s been great,” Alistair Johnston praises Colby Donovan’s Celtic impact | OneFootball

Alistair Johnston has given a positive update on his comeback timeline in a wide-ranging interview on Celtic TV as the Canada international heaped praise on 19 year-old Colby Donovan who has broken into the Celtic first team in recent weeks…

Alistair Johnston of Celtic lies injured during the UEFA Champions League Play-offs Round First Leg match between Celtic and Kairat Almaty at Celtic Park on August 20, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

There’s no doubt that the Canadian international has been missed over the past month or so but conversely AJ has been impressed by the emergence of 19 year-old Colby Donovan in his position while he’s been sidelined with the hamstring injury picked up against Kairat Almaty at Celtic Park in the first leg of the Champions League qualifier.

Colby Donovan in action during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between Celtic FC and SC Braga at Celtic Park on October 02, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“He’s been great. I think the biggest thing that stuck out to everyone about Colby is his personality, but I don’t think that was ever in question.

“Now that I’ve been in this changing room for the past couple of years and been out, and played at Celtic Park, I know what it takes and what a Celtic player looks like at this point, and he looks like one in terms of the personality and the confidence that he has on the ball.

Colby Donovan, Callum McGregor and Brendan Rodgers all smiles after the match. Partick Thistle v Celtic. Premier Sports League Cup. Sunday 21 September. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

“That’s something you need, especially as a young kid, to go into those kinds of environments like he did in Belgrade and be able to handle the moment and not look overwhelmed. It’s been really impressive – he’s been like a duck to water.

“That’s something that you want to see because this club is renowned for pushing through young talent, having a Scottish core, having a core that you can look back on as a fan and be proud of because you can look around the team and say, ‘that boy’s from five miles down the road, he’s from my local town,’ all these different things.

Colby Donovan of Celtic Crvena zvezda v Celtic, UEFA Europa League, Football, Rajko Mitic Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia – 24 Sep 2025Belgrade Rajko Mitic Stadium Serbia Photo Nikola Krstic Shutterstock

“That’s part of the fabric and DNA of this football club. So, he’s done so well so far at taking it all on board. I think he’s going to be a great player, and we’re really lucky to have him here at Celtic,” Johnston said.

There’s more to come from the Alistair Johnston interview on Celtic TV from The Celtic Star and there’s also a preview video below. Subscribers to Celtic TV can watch the video simply by logging into their Celtic TV account.

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