It goes without saying that Celtic have missed Kyogo Furuhashi. The Japanese star has established himself as an absolute fan favourite ever since arriving in the summer. Thus, him getting injured while with the Japan national team earlier in the month was a massive blow to say the least.
Kyogo has shown brilliant movement and an eye for goal during his time at Parkhead. And in his absence, the team have not looked nearly as good going forward.
As a result, they will be hoping to get him back as soon as possible and it does appear that a return is getting closer. There is some confusion surrounding him regarding the upcoming international break though.
It had appeared that he was not included in the squad for the Japan national team having been out of action since the last international break but recent comments from Ange Postecoglou suggest otherwise. While speaking at a media conference on Celtic’s official YouTube channel and as reported by 67 Hail Hail, the manager said:
"“I’m keen to get them some game time before the break. Obviously [Callum McGregor is] going away with the Scotland team, Kyogo’s been selected in the Japanese team. So we need to sort of assess where they’re at, so getting them some game-time makes sense.”"
Kyogo’s return would be a massive boost for Celtic
Whether he plays for the Japan national team during the upcoming international break is a different matter. But the biggest thing right now is that Kyogo returns to full fitness as soon as possible and is back on the pitch.
We have already seen how much of a difference he can make in this team. And while him coming back might not immediately transform this Celtic side into world-beaters, it will definitely improve them.
It is not just Kyogo that they have been missing in recent times though. Several other important players are out of action as well, while those fit have had to play a lot of football over the last few weeks. As a result, it is understandable why the intensity from earlier in the season has been missing a bit in recent performances. Thus, the international break could prove to be a huge positive for Postecoglou’s side.