Hibs boss Lee Johnson admits Celtic's world-class ballboys could affect team selection

Hibs manager Lee Johnson has praised Celtic’s ballboys, dubbing them ‘world class’ – and admitted they could influence his team selection for the cinch Premiership clash.

The Easter Road boss has previously spoken about the importance of getting the ball back in play quickly when it goes out of play and believes the Hoops are the benchmark.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s meeting at Celtic Park he said: “Celtic’s ball boys are world class. It’s making me question my team selection, that five seconds in transition. I bet people have never heard this before, but those ballboys are making me question what team I pick.”

Johnson went on to explain that the speed with which the ballboys get the ball back in play means he will need players who are constantly alert to the dangers. Revealing that he incurred a booking during the 2-0 victory over Ross County for what he described as over-enthusiastic gesticulating to his centre-forward to get into a specific position, Johnson elaborated on his selection thoughts ahead of the game.

“We have a saying ‘the ball goes dead, we come alive’, in that we need players who are alive when the ball is dead,” he explained. “It’s reactions to transition and trust, trust that you won’t switch off.

"You have to concentrate for 96 minutes, it’s as simple as that. As a player myself, I would always try to capitalise on a dead ball, get to it quickly, and try to get eye contact with the striker when the defence was organising. It’s about that speed of play, the relentless tempo – in the end, that’s what catches people out.”