Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate was harshly left out by Japan during their recent international double-header against China and Bahrain.
While Daizen Maeda got himself on the scoresheet against the former, Hatate was left out of their matchday squad and also didn’t feature against Bahrain earlier this week.
The former Kawasaki Frontale man has been in excellent form this term, registering two goals in his opening five Scottish Premiership matches.
On one hand, Celtic will be able to reap the rewards of his freshness for their upcoming run of fixtures. However, it is hard not to feel for Hatate on a personal level, seeing the work he puts in every week to catch the attention of Hajime Moriyasu.
Brendan Rodgers has revealed what his reaction has been like after returning to Lennoxtown and gave some wise words of wisdom regarding how he can force his way into starting contention with the Samurai Blue.
Brendan Rodgers on Reo Hatate’s international omission
Speaking in his pre-match press conference as Celtic prepare to face Heart of Midlothian tomorrow, Rodgers has encouraged Hatate to use any lingering frustration at his omission to fuel his attempts to make sure Moriyasu selects him during future camps.
The Irishman also praised his positive reaction to events, stating: “I only seen him the other day. I felt a wee bit for him. I’d seen in the first game that he wasn’t involved, and obviously, Daizen was and scored, which was great, but then he wasn’t involved in the second game, so I was disappointed for him.
“He’s of gone out there, training, he travelled around the world to have an opportunity to play, but he’s come back, he’s still been positive and (in) my conversations with him, he’s going to work even harder and just try to be as consistent as he possibly can be, so hopefully that will be a great motivating factor for him now going into this next number of games.”
Later, Rodgers added when asked why Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi have been overlooked at times by Japan: “Or, they might just have a really, really good squad of players. I think you have to respect that, Japan are a leading country and they’ve got some absolutely outstanding players.
“You look throughout Europe, you look in the Premier League, some top players, so you have to be respectful of that. I think we see them here and you look at Kyogo and his running, how his game is developing, he’s been sensational, how he’s started the season and over the course of pre-season.
“Reo, if he can add consistency to his game, that will elevate his opportunities to play. We know they’re good players; it’s not about proving (anyone) wrong; you’ve got to prove your point all the time and see where it takes you. Hopefully, if they continue to do that, then they get the opportunities.”
Hatate will show Japan why he deserves further caps
It is intriguing to pick up on Rodgers’ soundbites on Hatate’s consistency, an area where he also challenged the Japanese midfielder to up his levels in at the beginning of last season.
Ultimately, Rodgers is the ideal manager to bring the best out of the 26-year-old. Despite his vast array of talent, the Irishman is determined to push him onto a new level tactically and technically while he is under his watch.
An elite manager can make all the difference for players with a high ceiling. Why would you settle for something good when you could potentially have someone great on your hands?
With his comments fresh in the memory, it will be exciting to see Hatate go all out to prove his point as the campaign progresses.
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