Reo Hatate has suffered more frustration in this international break after the Celtic midfielder was an unused sub in Japan’s 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia.
The Samurai Blues created history with their first-ever win on Saudi Arabian soil but Hatate wasn’t allowed to be a part of the victory after Hajime Moriyasu decided to keep the Celtic hero kicking his heels on the Japan bench for the fourth game in a row.
Hatate has struggled to regain his place in the Japan national team ever since he suffered a calf injury at Celtic last season.
And with Australia up next for Hatate’s Japan, the Celtic midfielder has opened up and admitted he’s addressed his lack of international minutes with Moriyasu.
Celtic’s Hatate’s ‘top priority’ is World Cup qualification with Japan
This isn’t the first time Hatate has spoken about his desire to win more caps with Japan. The Celtic hero was a regular starter last summer under Moriyasu as he outlined his hopes with the national squad.
And looking forward to the match against the Socceroos, Hatate says he would love the same role in Japan’s team that he has at Celtic.
Hatate told Super World Soccer, “I have to keep my eyes on the current situation, but my top priority is for the team to win and qualify for the World Cup.
“Towards that, I want to do what I have to do. If I were to play, I would want to play in the shadows. If I can play in the shadows, I want to do what I always do in my own team, plus what is required of me in this team.”
Hatate also admits he’s addressed his lack of game time with Japan’s head coach, Hajime Moriyasu.
The Celtic midfielder continued, “I won’t say what I’m going to do, but we’ve been talking about those things on a personal level, and I want to make sure I do those things for the national team first, plus I hope to do them again when I return to my own team’.
All of Celtic hero Reo Hatate’s appearances for Japan
Hatate earned his first cap for Japan back in March 2022 in a 1-1 draw with Vietnam. The Celtic midfielder was enjoying an impressive start to his Hoops career and had just helped Celtic destroy Rangers 3-0 to go top of the Scottish Premiership with Ange Postecoglou.
However, Hatate is currently on the fringes of the Japan side but has starred for his country in some impressive wins in his last five international appearances.
Hatate started for Japan in their 5-0 win over Myanmar in a World Cup qualifier in June. The Celtic midfielder was subbed at halftime with Moriyasu’s side 2-0 up.
Prior to his calf injury, the 26-year-old helped Japan reach the 2023 Asian Cup quarter-final in 3-1 wins over Bahrain and Indonesia but succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Iraq in the earlier rounds of the tournament despite creating an assist for Wataru Endo’s 93rd-minute consolation goal.
Hatate has also starred in wins over Peru, Tunisia, Canada and El Salvador as the Celtic midfielder cemented his place in the national team before injury halted his progress.
Hopefully, Hatate will get some minutes in tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier at the Saitama Stadium as travelling all that way to sit on the bench will just be another waste of the Celtic midfielder’s time.
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