Celtic: Daizen Maeda status confirmed amid injury fears

International breaks are always a worry for Celtic managers. Brendan Rodgers though is a little less likely to be surprised by a player injury during the current break. He already knew Auston Trusty had withdrawn from the US squad and Arne Engels wasn't even called up for Belgium for the next two matches.

Rodgers probably wasn't surprised either to learn the news about Daizen Maeda's problem, which prevented the player from training with the rest of the Japan squad this week. He trained individually after the match against Rangers on Sunday.

Perhaps the biggest surprise, after being on the end of many challenges in that match, is that it was only a bruised leg he was suffering from. And there is some good news for Celtic in this regard.

Japan is busy preparing for a World Cup qualification tie against Bahrain. It’s still early in the qualification campaign but a win could see them become the first team to secure their place in the 2026 finals. They are already nine points clear of second-placed Australia in their group. 

Celtic: Daizen Maeda status confirmed amid injury fears

Maeda's fantastic form this season and current run of goals could help his claim to play in the next match for Japan if fit to do so. That's where there is now better news for his national, Rodgers, and, of course, Celtic fans. 

In the latest session earlier on Wednesday, Maeda was spotted back training with the squad as normal. The pictures on the tweet below from Soccer King show him with the other players and confirm he was back with the squad. It may be that Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu doesn't want to risk Maeda and leaves him either on the bench for the start of the game or leaves him out of the match altogether. 

Japan have been in fine form as they race towards World Cup qualification. A free-scoring Maeda to give them a comfortable lead early in the match against Bahrain could be just what they need. If it was a Celtic side, he would be on from the start.