Alistair Johnston diagnosis deepens Celtic defensive crisis as Brendan Rodgers reveals Liel Abada plan

Brendan Rodgers has been hit with another injury headache with fears Alistair Johnston could be out for weeks with a suspected cracked skull.

The Celtic defender was raced to hospital in Edinburgh on Wednesday after suffering a nasty head injury in the dramatic 2-1 win against Hibs. Johnston is out of tomorrow’s Scottish Cup clash at St Mirren – along with Cameron Carter-Vickers, Greg Taylor and Reo Hatate – but the Hoops are sweating on the results of a scan to discover if the Canada star is facing a lengthy absence.

Rodgers said: “He won’t be available for the weekend. We think he has a slight fracture on the side of the head. Hopefully we’ll get the result from the scan. It just seems to be a season of continual issues especially around a lot of our starting players. We’ll see. Hopefully, fingers crossed it’ll be ok and he won’t be out for too long.”

Rodgers admitted losing Johnston was a blow – but he has total faith in Tony Ralston while handing Alexandro Bernabei an opportunity in Taylor’s absence. He said: “That’s the beauty of it. Tony, for me, in his own right could start every game. So it’s important you have that level of player.

“I see how he prepares himself and you see his tackle the other night at the end of the game which creates the opportunity for the penalty (for the late winner). I know I’ve got someone there I can trust.

“It’s been hard for Berna because he’s been out for such a long time. His skillset is totally different to Greg.

“Greg’s someone who plays the role in a way where he sees the passes and he’s clever with his movement. Berna is more of a runner so it’s a different skillset but he’s getting some game time and it’s an opportunity he’s waited a long time for so he’s looking to grab it.”

Rodgers is battling several issues to keep Celtic’s trophy bid on track – including helping Liel Abada find top form again. The wide man has struggled since his return from injury and looked detached from the celebrations at Easter Road in midweek.

Abada was tipped for a loan exit in January amid uncomfortable personal circumstances with his homeland at war and a section of Celtic supporters making pro-Palestine protests. Rodgers admitted it’s a delicate situation and said: “I think what we do is just continue to communicate with him.

“My job is to maximise the potential that he has and for that, it’s just about making sure he is in the best place possible. There’s no doubt it’s been a challenge for him with everything that has gone on off the pitch. He’s well supported, he’s well loved here, but there’s no doubt it’s been a challenge for him.

Brendan Rodgers and Liel Abada

“To play football at your best, you have to be in that really positive mindset and in a good headspace, but we will constantly work with him in order to maximise what we can get out of him. I speak a lot to him and he has great support around here, so yeah, it’s not easy, but we just keep working with him to get the best performance out of him.”

Rodgers wants to park his problems and drive towards cup glory. The Hoops boss never lost a Scottish Cup tie during his first spell and he’s fired up for a National Stadium return after suffering League Cup frustration. The Parkhead boss – who has Oh and Yang back from Asian Cup duty – said: “I’ve missed Hampden. It’s an amazing competition to be involved in and I was very fortunate to have the feelings and memories we created the first time.

“So missing out on the League Cup, we’re even more determined for this competition. It’s something special. It’s brilliant. Obviously the first game was an iconic game for us (in the Final against Aberdeen in 2017) and the feeling how it summarised the whole season.

“Memories created like that are with you forever. To then be able to do it against Motherwell a year later so convincingly capped off another great season. I love the competition and I hope we can get there again.”

Meanwhile Rodgers laughed off wacky IFAB plans to trial blue cards and sin bins for dissent and professional fouls. He said: “As soon as I saw it I thought, I work in Scotland, I’m sure they better have a green card as well as a blue one or we might be in trouble!

“Just don’t complicate it. Make a decision whether it’s a red card, a yellow or no card. We don’t need a blue card up here, that’s for sure.”