Everyone is talking about Daizen Maeda. What a wonderful season he is having with Celtic. His all-around play has always been impressive, and he has now added goals to his game. A lot of them. The Japanese international was already playing well and scoring more often before Kyogo Furuhashi left the club.
That departure left a gap at centre-forward, which the 27-year-old has stepped into superbly. He has also been playing his other role as a winger when Adam Idah is on the pitch. Any concerns the fans had about Kyogo going have been long forgotten thanks to Maeda's output.
He has scored 33 times for the club this season, with 11 assists to his name on top of that. That includes four goals in nine Champions League matches, too, so he is finding the net at the very highest level.
Maeda didn’t score on Sunday against Dundee United, but he did have a couple of assists. He is already set for his best goal tally in a season, and there are five more matches to be played yet. Can he reach that magical 40-goal mark?
What Celtic teammates told journalist about Daizen Maeda
Maeda had improved on his footwork and finishing this season. It seems the coaching at Celtic has helped him do so. He looks more assured and confident in front of goal these days. It’s not gone unnoticed by fans, his manager, and the media, too.
His own teammates are obviously delighted by the extra goals. They have always recognised the amount of work Maeda puts into every minute he is on the pitch. Journalist Stephen Robinson shared on PLZ Soccer, via the Daily Record, what a couple of Celtic players told him about the Japanese international in training:
"I spoke to a couple of Celtic players who had done a morning session with him and they said like, he just keeps running, he doesn’t breathe, he doesn’t say a lot, he just smiles. I think he’s just your dream player."
Maeda sets a fantastic example and standard for the squad. No wonder he is a regular on Brendan Rodgers' team sheets. As we now approach the end of the season with two trophies already claimed and the Scottish Cup final to come, the Japanese forward will be looking to finish with more goals. Hopefully, his next will be up against James Tavernier next Sunday at Ibrox.
He already has a hat-trick to his name at Hampden Park against Aberdeen in the League Cup semi-final. He also scored a brace in the Scottish Cup semi-final against St. Johnstone. Hopefully, he will continue his run at that stadium as well, with another final coming up and the treble up for grabs.