'Always knew': Celtic star emerges as true leader for nation as transfer rumours continue to fly

Johnston has developed into Celtic’s first-choice right-back since joining from Montreal CF two years ago. Capped 51 times by his country, the 26-year-old recently signed a contract extension at Parkhead and has put in consistently strong performances domestically and in the Champions League.

Such has been Johnston’s form, he was this week linked with Italian Serie A giants Internazionale - and Hibs winger Junior Hoilett, one of his fellow Canada players, says it is no surprise to see him doing so well at Celtic. The duo could come up against each other on Sunday in the Scottish Cup quarter-final and the 34-year-old says he is one of their country’s icons.

"I always knew he would be good,” said Hoilett. “He's a very confident and strong player. To see how well he's done over here to gel so quickly and play for a top team and play in the top leagues, the Champions League, is great for Canada.

“I'm happy for him. He's my rival this weekend so I can't keep boosting him up! He's done major and he's done big stuff for Canada so to keep that going for him is good for the sport of Canada.

"He's one of the leaders in the team. He has some of the most caps in our current squad now at such a young age. It shows the way he carries himself not only on the field but off the field. He's a true leader and a true representative of Canada.”

Johnston and Hoilett will be hoping to team up together at the World Cup next year, with Canada one of three co-hosts for the expanded tournament. Staging such an event will be a huge moment for the country.

“When I was a kid growing up we didn't even have a domestic team,” continued Hoilett. “The Toronto C came on later on, I don't know, I think I was around 15 or 16. So we didn't really have a domestic team, no team to support in the local community. So to get a World Cup in the back garden is a massive achievement for the sport of Canada. You can see how much the sport has grown over the short period of time.

"Canada is a very domestic country so there's a lot of different cultures over there. I grew up in a Caribbean household so my dad was a football fan. There's a lot of Italians, Portuguese and South American communities and a lot of grassroots football out there but growing up we didn't have a domestic way out.

“The only way out was to play abroad so when I got back home we played at a grassroots level and ended up getting scouted. There's a lot of grassroots levels back home and the sport has grown now.”