Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has admitted he is disappointed for Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate after the pair were left out of the Japan World Cup squad.
Since their arrivals in the summer and winter windows last season, both Kyogo and Hatate have been a revelation at Parkhead.
The duo had a major part to play in the league and cup double success, settling in right away after making the move from the J-League.
Going into the 2022/23 campaign, the Hoops duo have continued that form and arguably been two of the best performers in Ange Postecoglou’s side.
And with the Qatar 2022, World Cup taking place this winter, a place in Japan’s World Cup squad looked like a real possibility.
Hatate was called up to the squad for his nation’s friendlies in September, which gave Japanese boss Hajime Moriyasu the chance of a closer look at the midfielder, having previously only picked up one cap.
Kyogo, on the other hand, looked all set for Qatar after becoming a regular feature in Moriyasu’s squad, including playing in their last friendly outing against Ecuador.
On Tuesday morning, the Japan national team manager named his squad that would heading to the tournament, beginning later this month.
And whilst there was delight for fellow Celtic teammate Daizen Maeda, it was ultimately disappointment for Kyogo and Hatate, who have been left out of the 26-man squad.
Speaking to the press ahead of Celtic’s match-up against Real Madrid later tonight, Ange Postecoglou’s reacted to the news of both players missing out.
Having previously managed at a World Cup, the 57-year-old will know first-hand what they are going through and admitted his disappointment for the pair.
He said [Celtic FC]: “Yeah, obviously I do (feel for them a bit). I was fortunate enough to be a manager at a World Cup. It’s one of those tournaments, I am sure, for every football player, it’s a dream of theirs to get there.
“I think they both would have been very close to getting there, particularly Kyogo, and I’m disappointed for them. Reo’s probably got another one or two cycles of World Cups to potentially go to. But, with Kyogo, at his age, I think he’s still got one in him because he’s still young.
“But you want to take these opportunities. Disappointed for them, but both of them are really strong characters. I know that they will take it in the right way, and it’ll motivate them to make sure that they continue to play their football to the best of their ability at our football club, and these opportunities will come again.”
World Cup blow will have Kyogo and Hatate disappointed, but they will also be raring to go.
After such an impressive first year at Parkhead, you can only imagine how gutted both Hatate and Kyogo are to have missed out on this opportunity to head to the World Cup.
However, although it will come as a huge blow for both players, as Postecoglou mentions, it could help aid their motivation even further to prove why Moriyasu was wrong to leave them out.
Instead of heading for Qatar in a few weeks’ time, the Celtic duo will instead have some time to rest over the winter period, joining their teammates in Australia and at the training camp in Portugal.
So, the duo will be aiming to build upon a great start to the campaign and put their international disappointment behind them by continuing to showcase their quality for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
For now, I am sure both players are only focusing on what is to come, with the chance to perform at an iconic stadium later this evening and three more league outings for the Bhoys before we break for the World Cup.
In other news, Referee who created Champions League history appointed for Celtic’s clash vs Real Madrid.
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