Celtic boss explains why he dropped Kyogo vs Hibernian

Kyogo Furuhashi has not been in great form since Brendan Rodgers replaced Ange Postecoglou as the manager of Celtic in the summer. The Northern Irishman's slow and methodical build up play does not seem to suit the Japanese forward, whose game is built upon playing on the shoulders of the last defender.

Kyogo has still delivered in the big games. He has scored in both Glasgow Derbies and also found the back of the net against Atletico Madrid and Lazio in the Champions League.

Kyogo did find himself out of the starting XI against Hibernian, as Adam Idah was handed his first start, after arriving on winter deadline day on a loan deal from Norwich City. Rodgers did end up bringing on the Japanese forward in the second half, with the Hoops searching for a goal.

Idah did back up his selection with a brace. Yes, both of them might have come from the spot. But every Celtic fan knows how much trouble the club have had with penalties recently. Hopefully, they have found someone who can put them away consistently. As reported by Football Scotland, Rodgers told BBC Sportsound:

"We're just freshening it up.

"The guys that we brought in we trust to come into the team. Obviously, it's taken Nicolas some time to get up to speed having just come in and understanding how we work. Adam is game-ready, he's been involved for Norwich in a lot of games.

"But likewise, he's only just been in a day and I thought when he came into the game he showed moments of quality. So it's nice for him to come in and we know we've got a bench to affect the game if we need it."

Celtic boss explains why he dropped Kyogo vs Hibernian

This is just one game. It remains to be seen how Idah performs moving forward. But if he does end up becoming Celtic's main striker in the second half of the season, then where would Kyogo fit in?

Kyogo is a fantastic player without a doubt. He scored 34 goals last season. But if he does not fit Rodgers' system, then will he continue to be selected or will he become a bench player despite signing a long-term extension not too long ago?

It is also worth pointing out that Kyogo was not always a striker. There are other positions he can play as well. It is far too early to have these discussions though.