With every passing day, Kyogo Furuhashi's decision to leave Celtic for Rennes in the winter looks like a bigger mistake. This weekend, his team won 4-0 against Montpellier but the Japanese forward was left as unused substitute. This is the second game running that he has not even been brought off the bench and third time in total out of five matches.
It is safe to say that things are not going as Kyogo would have envisioned when he left Celtic to join Rennes. He had been a starter for the Hoops for three-and-a-half seasons, his entire time at Parkhead. So, this reduction in playing time might be difficult to digest.
One major reason behind Kyogo leaving is believed to be his desire to play at the upcoming World Cup for Japan. Perhaps he felt that he would not get the call up if he did not play in one of the top five European leagues.
It is not hard to understand why he might feel that way. Kyogo was in sensational form for Celtic during the 22/23 campaign but even then, he was left out of Japan's 2022 World Cup squad.
Kyogo Furuhashi names moment he was frustrated at Celtic
Kyogo has now looked back on the moment that he learned he was not part of Japan's 2022 World Cup squad. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, the Japanese forward told Lemino Football:
"It was really frustrating, to be honest I think the announcement of the squad was on the day we were traveling for the Champions League away game.
“I couldn’t let it dwell on me. To be honest, I was really depressed and frustrated, but I had to play in the Champions League, so I did my best to switch gears."
Unfortunately, it is almost impossible for Kyogo to get the national team call up ahead of the 2026 World Cup, if he is not playing week in and week out at Rennes. Right now, he is not even coming off the bench.
So, something needs to change and quickly. Right now, the decision to join Rennes seems to have been a bad one and he was not helped by the timing of it all either, as Jorge Sampaoli, the manager who had wanted him at the French club, was sacked days after his arrival.