Celtic manager Martin O'Neill faces a goalkeeping dilemma for Sunday's Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Rangers at Ibrox, after giving Sam Johnstone a surprise debut in this week's 1-0 win over St Johnstone in Perth.
Johnstone joined Celtic on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers at the end of the transfer window, and his arrival drew a muted reaction from supporters, who questioned the wisdom of signing a 33-year-old goalkeeper who has not played a great deal of football in recent years. He has four England caps, all of which produced clean sheets, but the overriding feeling among fans was indifference.
O'Neill's decision to start Johnstone in midweek, rather than incumbent Viljami Sinisalo, came as a surprise, and it now leaves the Celtic manager with a major selection call to make before Sunday's trip to Ibrox.
O'Neill said on Friday he had not settled on his choice. "I haven't made my mind up at all," he said. "It's great to have the two of them. Viljami has done exceptionally well for us and it was just, again, an opportunity to see what Sam can do now. What he could do a couple of years ago was fantastic, what he can do now might be a totally different picture."
Ibrox is regarded as an unforgiving arena for any Celtic goalkeeper, where mistakes are ruthlessly exposed, and not the kind of fixture that lends itself to experimentation. Whichever goalkeeper O'Neill selects is likely to give a clear signal of who will be first choice for the rest of the season.
The timing of Johnstone's debut suggests he could get the nod. Handing the gloves to Sinisalo for the cup tie, only to restore Johnstone for next week's league meeting with Rangers, would be an unusual approach during a period when Celtic are looking for stability, with their Europa League campaign against Ferencvaros starting on Thursday night.
Johnstone impresses on debut
Johnstone performed well against St Johnstone in midweek, making one notable save and keeping a clean sheet on his Celtic debut. Former Celtic captain Scott Brown spoke this week about the goalkeeping situation and backed Johnstone to keep the jersey on a long-term basis.
The case for Sinisalo
Sinisalo has done little to warrant losing his place. He could arguably have done better for a couple of the goals Celtic conceded away to LASK Linz in Austria, though he was far from alone in having a poor night. When it became clear Kasper Schmeichel was not fit last season, Sinisalo stepped in and performed well for the rest of the campaign.
Goalkeepers know that form is often judged in snapshots and that a single error can cost months out of the team. Sinisalo has not made that error, with only a sense that he might have done better in isolated moments. Dropping him now, simply because a more decorated alternative is available, risks looking reactive rather than considered.
Rangers' aerial threat
O'Neill has said his goalkeepers should face the same scrutiny as outfield players, and that Johnstone was signed partly to provide that competition for Sinisalo. Rangers, under manager Derek McInnes, have built much of their attacking play this season around getting the ball wide and crossing into the box, meaning whoever starts will face a heavy aerial test at Ibrox. O'Neill has said that, despite being 33, Johnstone still has plenty of football left in him, with the aim of returning him to the level that once made him an England squad member.
Johnstone's long road to Celtic
Celtic are the 12th club of Johnstone's career. He came through the youth ranks at Manchester United during the era of Edwin van der Sar and later David de Gea, before a series of loan spells at Scunthorpe United, Walsall, Yeovil Town, Doncaster Rovers and hometown club Preston North End, followed by a lengthy spell at Aston Villa under Steve Bruce, where he played regularly in the Championship and reached a play-off final.
He left Manchester United permanently for West Bromwich Albion in 2018 in a deal worth around £7million, helping the club win promotion in 2019-20 before a standout Premier League campaign the following season. West Brom were relegated, but Johnstone was named both the Supporters' and Players' Player of the Year, with big saves against Manchester United and Liverpool earning him national recognition.
Gareth Southgate called him into the England squad in March 2021, and he made his debut in a 1-0 win over Romania at the Riverside Stadium that June, keeping a clean sheet. He was part of the England squad that reached the final of Euro 2020. Johnstone won four caps in total, all ending in clean sheets, the last of them against Australia at Wembley in October 2023.
Crystal Palace signed him on a free transfer in 2022, and he established himself as first choice before injuries and the arrival of fellow Manchester United academy graduate Dean Henderson pushed him down the pecking order. Wolves paid a reported £12million for him in the summer of 2024, but two seasons at Molineux brought limited opportunities, an injury and eventual relegation, leaving him surplus to requirements by the start of this season.
What happens next
Celtic agreed a season-long loan for Johnstone, and he could now be set for an Old Firm debut having barely settled in at the club. He has spoken about wanting a long career in goal, pointing to former Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon playing into his forties as an example he would love to follow. The loan gives him the chance to play regularly again, remind people of the level he reached in that West Brom season, and perhaps put himself back on the England radar.
Sunday's derby will not settle the goalkeeping question for good, but it will show which way O'Neill has decided to go. Whoever starts will face the intensity that only an Old Firm fixture produces, and one of Johnstone and Sinisalo will be left disappointed.
