Sam Johnstone reveals Sir Alex Ferguson lesson driving Celtic ambition | OneFootball

Sam Johnstone has made it clear he has come to Celtic to play after completing a season-long loan move from Wolves.

Celtic FC new signing Sam Johnstone. Photo Willie Vass IMAGO

Martin O’Neill had been keen to strengthen his goalkeeping options throughout the summer and eventually landed the former England international in the closing days of the transfer window.

Johnstone has been an unused substitute in Celtic’s two matches since arriving, but the 33-year-old insists he has no intention of simply accepting a place on the bench.

“I always want to play. Growing up, that’s what you want to do,” Johnstone said via Daily Record. “I don’t think I’ve ever had the mentality to kind of sit there and accept not playing. I find it difficult.

“Things change, things move on and there will be tough times. But we want to play games. I do, anyway, as a footballer. So, let’s see what happens. You have to fight for your position and then we go from there.”

Johnstone arrives at Parkhead with significant Premier League experience after spells with Aston Villa, West Brom, Crystal Palace and Wolves.

“To be at a club like this, the size of it, the demands of this club, it’s something I’m really excited about,” Johnstone continued. “It’s a loan to the end of the season and what a great experience for me and then who knows after that what will happen in football.

“It’s an opportunity for me to come up here and try something different with a huge club.”

O’Neill has already indicated Johnstone will receive game time, with the Celtic boss playing an important role in convincing the goalkeeper to make the move north.

“I spoke to the manager the other day,” he revealed. “He’s just so calm and made me feel welcome from literally the first word we spoke to each other.

“He came and sat with me and my dad and we enjoyed the conversation with him. He’s a very calm, calm man, experienced manager, so it’s great to be around him as well.”

Johnstone also sought advice from close friend and former Celtic No.1 Joe Hart before agreeing to the move.

Hart enjoyed a hugely successful three-year spell at the Hoops before retiring in 2024, and his glowing assessment of Celtic left Johnstone keen to experience Parkhead for himself.

“I’d seen a couple of games. And then, to be honest, once I knew about the opportunity to come here, I also YouTubed some of his games and really took in how it is and how he was and things like that,” Johnstone said. “We are different characters, but, I was so excited that, I thought, I’m going to watch Joe’s stuff after he told me that he loved it and it would be a great opportunity.

“He didn’t tell me he had a 40-foot banner, but I’d seen that anyway, which is unbelievable. And then me and Woodsy, the goalie coach, we sat down, and he showed me that as well.”

Johnstone’s career began at Manchester United, where he trained alongside some of the biggest names of the Sir Alex Ferguson era despite never making a senior appearance.

“I was a United fan growing up. In the dressing room were people like Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, and Darren Fletcher,” he said. “The shooting practice was difficult! But again, as a young kid, to be around people like that, and train with high-level players every day is, again, good grounding for me.”

On working under Ferguson, he added: “To have someone like that around, growing up at a huge club, is obviously a massive, massive thing. Him just walking into a room, we were scared straight away. It was really good to have that sort of guy around.”

Johnstone also worked closely with Edwin van der Sar and David de Gea during his development at Old Trafford.

“I had a bit to do with Edwin van der Sar, Ben Foster, and David De Gea for a while. I worked with some really good goalkeepers growing up, which was good for me,” Johnstone said. “To be around people like that daily, it can only rub off on you.

“Just the way they handle themselves and the way they do things, it’s great for me being young to pick up on stuff like that.

“Now and again me and De Gea still speak to each other and things like that, so not only were they good players, I was around good people as well.”

The Celtic newcomer also has four England caps and has not given up hope of forcing his way back into the international picture, although his immediate focus is firmly on winning his place at Parkhead.

“That would be brilliant to get back into there,” he admitted. “It’s been a couple of years, and playing at such a big club like this and at a high level, hopefully that can come. But first and foremost, my main priority and thoughts are with Celtic.”

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