Martin O’Neill has completely transformed Celtic’s season in the last month.
When he replaced Brendan Rodgers, the Hoops were miles behind Hearts and incapable of winning in Europe.
Fast forward to December and the Bhoys are now only two points behind the league leaders, and have picked up a first away win on the continent since 2021.
It’s been extraordinary to see the change in fortunes, and the improvement of some players has been second to none.
Hyunjun Yang is one of those who looks like a new player under the 73-year-old, but there is another that Celtic fans think has shone more than others.
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Which player has impressed you the most since Martin O’Neill took over?
Martin O’Neill praised for improving Reo Hatate
Since O’Neill returned to the club, the form of Reo Hatate has been a delight to see.
After recording his best-ever season in terms of goal contributions in the 2024/25 campaign, the midfielder had looked a shadow of himself.
However, since the Nothern Irishman came back, the Japanese star has looked back to his best.
A goal against Feyenoord and a great assist for the opening goal in the win against Hibernian at the weekend.
His effort levels haven’t gone unnoticed by the supporters, who have been waxing lyrical.
Two quickfire goals from Celtic! How are we rating this performance so far?
@TheRyanMcGinlay said: “As is usually the case, when Reo Hatate turns it on, Celtic thrive.”
@AgentScotland added: “Huge three points for Celtic, those three away games straight after the international break looked pretty daunting for this squad, and for Martin O’Neill to win them all and start getting performances out of Hatate, Maeda and Engels again has been massive for this team.”
@ACSOMPOD wrote: “Hatate looks like a player transformed.”
@Bricky67_ commented: “Reo Hatate looking like himself again this afternoon.”
@auditor1888 also said: “Hatate is playing like the weight of Brendan Rodgers has been lifted from his shoulders.”
Reo Hatate crucial in Celtic win
It’s a running theme now but, when Hatate plays well, so do Celtic.
He looked much more like his old self, picking out ambitious passes, trying to create big chances and get his foot on the ball.
| Reo Hatate performance vs Hibernian | Stats |
| Minutes played | 77 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Accurate passes | 31/33 (94%) |
| Touches | 40 |
| Big chances created | 1 |
Sometimes you will become frustrated by what you see, but there are times where you have to persevere to earn the rewards.
A lot of the success will come from how well the 28-year-old will play for the rest of the season and if it’s anything like the last two fixtures, it bodes well.
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