Celtic player makes admission about Ange Postecoglou’s exit

Reo Hatate was one of Celtic’s best signings of the Ange Postecoglou era. Last season, he was unquestionably one of the best in the Scottish Premiership and did not look out of place against teams like Real Madrid and RB Leipzig in the Champions League either. It has been a different story since the Australian left though.

Hatate has looked nowhere near his best since Brendan Rodgers replaced Postecoglou in the Parkhead hot seat. It must also be pointed out that the Japanese midfielder has had to deal with an injury and speculation surrounding his future all summer.

Things do seem to be looking up for Hatate though. He recently penned a long-term contract extension with Celtic and put in his best performance of the season against Kilmarnock at the weekend.

Hopefully, Hatate can build on this display after the international break and consistently perform at this level. Amid all this, he has made an admission about Postecoglou’s exit in the summer.

Celtic player makes admission about Postecoglou’s exit

It looks like Hatate was not concerned when Postecoglou left and he seems to be determined to produce his best under the management of Rodgers. As reported by the Daily Record, the Japanese midfielder said:

"“Working under different managers can always be difficult, but I just want to put in my performance whoever the manager is.“I cannot make an excuse because the gaffer is different. My strong point is to be able to work under any circumstances, so that’s how I try to perform. I wasn’t really concerned after the previous manager left. With the current manager, it’s obviously different but I’ve already had three or four occasions to speak with him personally.”"

Of course, Rodgers has come in with a different system to that of Postecoglou. It is only natural for players to take some time to adjust to things.

Someone like Matt O’Riley has thrived from the get-go and seems like a much better player than he was last season. And he was pretty good during his season-and-a-half with Postecoglou.

On the other hand, someone like Hatate seems to be coming to grips with his ‘new’ role. The injury at the start of the season did not help matters either. But seems to be a starter once again and his performance against Kilmarnock at the weekend has raised fans’ hopes about the future.