“Canada’s assistant coach praises Celtic full-back for standout performances in the Copa America.”

“Canada’s assistant coach Ewan Sharp has praised Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston for his performances on the field during the Copa America in the United States, highlighting his influence both on and off the pitch.”

The Canucks, entering the South American Championship for the first time, were considered 60-1 outsiders by bookmakers before the tournament began last month.

However, Johnston and his teammates achieved a 1-0 victory over Peru and held Chile to a 0-0 draw in the group stages, securing their spot in the knockout rounds. They advanced further by defeating Venezuela on penalties in last week’s quarter-final.

Jesse Marsch’s team suffered a 2-0 defeat against the world champions Argentina in the semi-final on Tuesday night. However, they have the opportunity to secure third place if they defeat Uruguay in the play-off match this evening.

Stirling-born Sharp, who has coached at clubs like New York Red Bulls, Lokomotiv Moscow, Manchester United, and Leeds United, emphasized Johnston’s crucial role in their achievements.

“I didn’t know Alistair personally before,” said the Scot. “I’ve gotten to know him during our time here. He’s fantastic. A great person.

“He’s always engaging, and you can see how well-liked he is by the guys. He’s a significant character in the dressing room and at meals. He’s been outstanding.”

(Image: Getty)“I have enjoyed asking him about his experiences in Scotland and different things like. It has been great having him around. He has had a really good tournament as well. We are really lucky we to have him as a part of things.”

Marsch appointed Sharp, with whom he had previously worked at New York Red Bulls and Leeds United, just in May. Since then, the 31-year-old has been completely focused on the Copa America.

However, the former Stirling Albion and East Stirling youth has expressed his anticipation of returning to Scotland to watch Johnston, along with other Canadian footballers based in his homeland, play for Celtic in the upcoming season.

“It’s been a busy couple of months preparing for and participating in the tournament,” he said. “Everything has happened so quickly. I’ll see how things unfold over the next few months.

“It hasn’t felt much different from club preparations because we started training two weeks before the tournament. It was straight into camp and then the tournament itself. I’m sure it’ll feel a bit different in the coming months.

“I’ve already told Alistair that I’ll definitely come to Glasgow to watch him play. We also have a few other players based in Scotland like Theo Bair and Harry Paton at Motherwell, and Junior Hoilett at Aberdeen. There are a few others we’ve been keeping an eye on who play in Scotland. It’ll be great to get back home and see them in action.”