Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers still has four active players on duty at the AFC Asian Cup; however, his wait to have them back and available for selection won’t be much longer.
The final of the competition is on February 10th, meaning that Daizen Maeda, Hyeongyu Oh, Yang Hyun-jun and Reo Hatate will all return to Glasgow sometime after that date, if not before.
In the case of Hatate, there has been some concern from supporters due to the fact he was withdrawn from Japan’s last 16 victory over Bahrain with 36 minutes on the clock because of a calf injury.
Nevertheless, Samurai Blue national team boss Hajime Moriyasu wasn’t giving away too much in his post-match press conference when asked about the 26-year-old’s fitness, stating: “I want to hear the diagnosis from the doctor. However, it hurts both the players and the team when someone gets injured.”
Playing 121 minutes at the tournament so far, the former Kawasaki Frontale midfielder managed to notch a solitary assist against Iran on matchday two.
Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate set for the sidelines – report
According to Japanese outlet Gekisaka, Hatate may have torn his calf muscle, which could signal a spell of between four to eight weeks on the sidelines.
He will continue his immediate recovery with the Japan national team rather than flying back to Glasgow straight away for treatment.
Despite this, The Scottish Sun have cited the outlet and note that other local publications are claiming that he has actually only strained his calf, in a turn of events that would see a much shorter period of unavailability concerning the midfielder.
Samurai Blue boss Moriyasu has recently spoken further about Hatate’s injury state of play, stating: “I think it hurts him the most, but it’s also very painful for the team to lose a player who fights with so much soul.”
Keep an eye on this one as the full picture will likely be revealed in due course; however, there is a lack of definitive clarity at present.
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