Reo Hatate arrived at Celtic in January and made a sensational start to his career at Parkhead. Not many could have expected him to take to Scottish football so easily. He even ended up putting in one of the all-time great Glasgow Derby debut performances, by scoring twice and assisting once in a 3-0 win over the Rangers at Parkhead. Thus, it looked like the Hoops had pulled off an absolute transfer masterstroke.
The Japanese star could not sustain his form though. Later on in the season, it looked like he had just run out of steam and was struggling to match his performances from early on in the season. Ultimately, he ended up becoming one of the weak spots in the team.
Thus, there is still a lot of intrigue about what type of a player he will be for Celtic in the long run, as we have already seen both versions of Hatate.
Hatate’s form in pre-season this time around has been incredible though, as he has looked to be on a different level to those around him at times. He also seems to be keen to meet the expectations of the fans. As reported by The Scotsman, the Japanese star said:
"“I heard them and it was nice to do so, I would like to satisfy their expectations. I will play for the team and for the supporters. I don’t know how sharp I am, but we still have a long week, so I will do everything I can to start the season well.“After last season [when I came straight from completing the full season in Japan] I felt it was really important to have enough of a break, and I was able to take enough of a rest. I feel like I have been preparing well. For me, it will be the first time I have spent a whole season abroad, so it is a good opportunity to grow up as a player. We have a nice atmosphere and environment, so it all depends on me. I just want to have a good season without any injuries.”"
Hatate makes exciting promise to Celtic fans
Hatate had played a full season in Japan before joining Celtic last January. Thus, it is understandable why he might have been struggling towards the end of the season.
He has gotten some good rest over the summer though and looks to be refreshed. Now, it will be interesting to see if he can continue to perform at a top level throughout the course of the season.
If he can then Hatate will be almost like a new signing for Celtic. The signs from pre-season are very promising, but there is a long campaign ahead. Let’s see how it goes for the Japanese star.