Most probably Celtic’s best player this season, fans would have been hoping for Kyogo to be fit when the club returned to action after the winter break against Hibernian. That was not to be though as the Japanese star was not even in the squad. And while the 2-0 win was a huge boost for the club, a worry regarding his injury status would have been in the back of the minds of many supporters.
Kyogo had initially been injured in the last Europa League group stage game against Real Betis, when to be honest, he should have been left on the bench because nothing was riding on the result. It was a mistake on the part of Ange Postecoglou.
He did return to score a brace in the Scottish League Cup final against Hibernian and guide Celtic to their first piece of silverware of the season, despite not being 100 per cent fit.
But then, Kyogo was forced off the pitch again, in the last game before the winter break, against St Johnstone. The seriousness of the issue was played down in the beginning, but now, it is clear that things are worrying. As reported by the Daily Record, Postecoglou told BBC Radio Scotland:
"“It’s fair to say he hasn’t recovered from the injury.“We’re still getting some advice on it. He’s not likely to feature in the next couple of weeks at least, it could be longer.”"
Celtic look set to miss Kyogo for a while longer
One has to wonder, did Postecoglou make another mistake, by playing Kyogo against St Johnstone? In hindsight, one might view it as one as Celtic would go on to win 3-1 even though the Japanese star had been substituted off in the 15th minute.
But one has to remember the circumstances leading up to the game. Celtic had drawn 0-0 against St Mirren in the previous match and needed a result before heading into the winter break to keep up with the Rangers.
It is safe to say that every Celtic fan will be hoping for Kyogo to recover fully and be back on the pitch as soon as possible.