Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has already acted swiftly to bolster his charges ahead of the January transfer window, with the 57-year-old having most recently overseen the capture of Canadian international, Alistair Johnston.

The 24-year-old - who signed from CF Montreal on a £3.5m deal late last week - has joined the Old Firm outfit in order to bolster the club's full-back ranks, with the tough-tackling gem arriving off the back of a promising World Cup campaign.

The Vancouver-born ace was notably lauded as a "warrior" by teammate Kamal Miller for his displays in Qatar, having gone into the tournament after recording four goals and four assists in the latest MLS season.

A player who can seemingly provide a real threat in an attacking sense but is also firmly up for the fight defensively, having previously expressed his "love" for a physical challenge, the 5 foot 11 machine will certainly provide stern competition for the Hoops' current options at right-back.

His addition is already seemingly set to hasten Josip Juranovic's departure, with journalist Fabrizio Romano having revealed that the Scottish champions are "open" to offers for the Croatian following a reported stall in contract negotiations.

The 27-year-old - who has been linked with West Ham United of late - appears almost a certainty to move on from Glasgow once he returns from international duty, with Postecoglou and co likely hoping to recoup a notable profit on their initial £2.5m investment.

The suggestion would be that the former Legia Warsaw man's exit would allow the aforementioned Johnston the chance to secure a starting berth on the right of the defence, although the new man will not have a free run at that role due to the presence of academy graduate, Anthony Ralston.

It could well prove a defining moment for the latter man following Johnston's capture, although on recent evidence the Scotland international will seemingly rise to the challenge of having a new competitor, with Mark Wilson suggesting that it could in fact make the 24-year-old a "better player".

The six-cap machine has previously proven he is up for the fight having gone from peripheral figure to valued squad member following Postecoglou's appointment, with the defender enjoying a "massive turnaround" of late, in the words of pundit Alan Hutton.

Having featured just once during the 2020/21 campaign, Ralston went on to score five times and register nine assists in all competitions in what was a standout season last time out as part of the Bhoys' title triumph.

Such a resurgence was unsurprisingly lauded by his manager, with the former Yokohama Marinos boss stating: "He's been enormous for us all season and continues to be, he wasn't even 100 per cent tonight, with his ankle.

"But he's a warrior, he's a soldier, he loves this football club and he wants to make a career for himself."

Dubbed the "postman" by Dominik Diamond due to his "outstanding" delivery, the one-time St Johnstone loanee has gone on to also make his mark so far this term, laying on three assists in just nine outings.

The £8.5k-per-week menace was particularly impressive in the win over Dundee United early last month, recording a staggering haul of five key passes from his 116 touches as a sign of his creative brilliance.

On the basis of such displays, Ralston is unlikely to wilt at the prospect of having a new battle on his hands for a starting berth, with the signing of Johnston potentially set to prove something of a game-changer if it can spur the Scotsman on even further.