Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has provided an update on the status of Kyogo Furuhashi after a bad head knock in the second half of Sunday’s match against Aberdeen.
Kyogo was on the receiving end of a vicious challenge from Slobodan Rubezic during the 6-0 win. The Dons man flew in head-first on the Japanese star to leave him prone on the pitch.
For many, it should have been a red card and the Serbian defender was criticised by radio pundits during the match.
Celtic star Kyogo set to miss Japan matches
Rodgers said on BBC Radio Scotland after being asked about the incident: “I haven’t seen it back. It obviously looked sore from the sideline. Clearly, he was not in a good place so he had to come off.
“He’ll not go away now with Japan. He needs to stay and recover for seven days. It looked a nasty one.”
It will be a real disappointment for Kyogo to miss out on international duty. He’s been working hard to force his way into Hajime Moriyasu’s plans and the upcoming World Cup qualifiers were a perfect chance for him to make an impact.
Hopefully by staying behind at Lennoxtown it will at least mean the forward can rest up and recover well for Celtic matches after the international break.
The Bhoys have immediate games against Motherwell, Lazio and St Johnstone to contend with. While Hyeongyu Oh came off the bench to impress this afternoon, we’ll need Kyogo available and in the team for all of those tests.
Kyogo managed to score his eighth goal of the season before his substitution today and remains the club’s top scorer in all competitions this season.
In other news, Kenny Dalglish calls out UEFA after Celtic shocker; raises concerns about impartiality of official.
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