Celtic player hailed as ‘positional wizard’ by Japanese fans

With several Celtic stars away on international duty, the main concern for the fans is usually hoping to avoid bad news regarding potential injuries. So far there have been no new issues reported, which is great. Brendan Rodgers will of course be delighted to have seen Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuashi on top form for the Japan national team in their 2-0 win against Tunisia.

Both Celtic stars played a significant part in the win. Kyogo continued his great start to the season by scoring the opening goal in the first half. Hatate can claim an assist as it was his ball through to his teammate which opened up the chance. The ball was though deflected by a Tunisian player into the forward’s path.

There had been talk before the game about playing Hatate at left-back against Tunisia after the player impressed on the left of midfield as a substitute in the prior win over Canada. The Celtic midfielder did play at left-back often for his previous club Kawasaki Frontale before his move to Scotland.

In the end, Hajime Moriyasu opted for a midfield position for Hatate. And it is safe to say that he managed to catch the eye with his performance.

Celtic player hailed as ‘positional wizard’ by Japanese fans

As reported by the Daily Record, Hatate played predominantly off the left, and he masterminded much of their forward play. He had a large section of Japanese football Twitter waxing lyrical about his performance and one prominent account labelled him a ‘positional wizard’ saying: ‘his versatility allows him to play the positions of midfielder, forward, and defender.’

Only a short while ago Hatate seemed to be struggling after his return from injury. He wasn’t at his best for Celtic and was left out of the starting lineup by Rodgers a few times earlier in the campaign.

In recent weeks, we have seen Hatate return to form and the starting XI. He will surely have been delighted to have had that opportunity to start for Japan. And Rodgers must be pleased to see him gain some experience at the international level.