Sometimes it’s overlooked how hard it is to adjust to a new country, new culture and new team for players arriving at Celtic. Some players adapt quickly and others take some time to find their best form, through no fault of their own. The Hoops have a number of players vying for first-team football this year, and inevitably some miss out.
Yuki Kobayashi moved to Glasgow from Japanese side Vissel Kobe, the same team from which Kyogo Furuhashi was signed. The forward had hit the ground running in Scotland. The same cannot be said about the centre-back.
Unfortunately for Kobayashi, he has found opportunities hard to come by, despite making a number of appearances last season under the management of Ange Postecoglou. The Australian moved south to manage Tottenham Hotspur.
Under the management of Brenden Rodgers, Kobayashi has yet to make his first appearance this season. But the Celtic manager praised the Japanese defender in his pre-game press conference. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, he said while speaking on the club’s official YouTube channel:
"“He’s certainly someone that’s really professional. In fairness to Yuki, he would have gone out on loan and he just got injured just before he went out. He’s training very well, it’s not that he’s doing anything wrong. His attitude has been fantastic, working hard. But we only have a limited number of centre-halves that we can play.”"
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The 23-year-old defender was a star performer for Vissel Kobe in 2022, but after rising through the youth ranks there. It took not one but two loan moves before he really broke through. In 2019 he spent time with J2 League side Machida Zelvia before spending the 2021 season at Yokohama FC, helping them to a comfortable 9th placed finish in the league.
Chances are Kobayashi heads out on loan in January. It’s likely that he’ll stay in the United Kingdom with either a Scottish Premiership side or an English Championship team.
Although he’s clearly talented, the strength in depth at Celtic coupled with Rodgers’s comments would indicate that his immediate future lies away from Parkhead. But there’s no need to panic, Kobayashi has a contract until 2028 and there is plenty of time for him to find his feet in Europe.