Ange Postecoglou reveals why Kyogo was not in Celtic squad vs Rangers

Going into the Glasgow Derby, one the biggest Celtic storylines was surrounding Kyogo Furuhashi. The Japanese star has been out of action since picking up an injury in December but had made his return to training. Thus, many fans hoped that he would be fit enough to feature against the Rangers and Ange Postecoglou did not rule out the possibility either.

But come matchday, Kyogo was left out of the squad to face the Rangers. Although, it did not end up costing Celtic, who walked out of Ibrox with a huge 2-1 win and a 6-point advantage in the title race.

Celtic fans would surely be seeking some clarification on the Kyogo situation though and why he was not even in the matchday squad against the Rangers.

And they have been provided just that by Postecoglou, who has revealed that he left Kyogo out against the Rangers because he felt that the Hoops could handle it without the Japanese star. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, the manager told BBC Sportsound:

"“He’s such an important player for us and I thought today we could handle it without him.“To be fair he tried everything. Everywhere I turned he popped up in front of me to make sure I knew he was ready to go. I couldn’t walk around Lennoxtown without seeing him!”"

Postecoglou reveals why Kyogo was left out of Celtic squad vs Rangers

Kyogo has been out of action for more than three months now and as a result, there was very little hope that he would start against the Rangers straight off the bat. But there were many who felt that the Japanese star could be a solid option to have on the bench.

That did not turn out to be the case and fortunately, Celtic will not have any regrets either, having grabbed all three points at Ibrox.

Now, we can look forward to Kyogo being slowly brought back into the first-team fold. He will have to win back his spot in the starting XI though, with Giorgos Giakoumakis in magnificent form in the second half of the campaign and Daizen Maeda also proving himself with his tireless performances.