Shin Yamada’s opening six months at Celtic were brutal.
Little did Yamada know that he was walking into a mess at Celtic. From Brendan Rodgers leaving in October, fan protests, and Martin O’Neill coming back twice.
Either way, it didn’t help Celtic’s new striker, who wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms because the supporters wanted and demanded a more proven goalscorer.
On top of that, Yamada was hardly used, like several summer signings, and he was spending more time away from the matchday squad than on the bench or on the pitch.
That’s why it wasn’t a surprise that Yamada was loaned out in January to Preußen Münster in Germany’s second tier, but life hasn’t started as he would have wanted.
Was Shin Yamada unfairly treated at Celtic?
Shin Yamada is an unused substitute for Preußen Münster against Fortuna Düsseldorf
It must be a case of Déjà vu for Yamada because he made this loan move to earn regular minutes and start matches.
So far, that hasn’t happened, but there is still a long way to go.
On Friday night, Preußen Münster travelled to Düsseldorf, with Yamada on the bench, but manager Alexander Ende kept the Celtic man on the bench, as the relegation-threatened side recorded a goalless draw.
- Yamada’s games for Preußen Münster: 2
- Starts: 0
- Off the bench: 2
- Unused: 1
- Total minutes: 22
Yamada should use Maik Nawrocki as inspiration
Another Celtic player who was hardly used and had to go out on loan was centre-back Maik Nawrocki, who joined Hannover 96 in the summer, also in Germany’s second tier.
Nawrocki had to wait until October to earn his first start, and then, he became a regular, although injury has halted him in recent weeks.
Perhaps Yamada, who will come up against Nawrocki in May, should use the Polish star as an example, and how he needs to be patient, wait for those much-wanted starts, and then take his chance and run with it.
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