Hayato Inamura has admitted that one of the big reasons he decided to leave Celtic was to realise his World Cup dream with Japan.
Inamura left Celtic to join FC Tokyo in June and he has wasted no time in explaining how Daizen Maeda inspired him to leave Parkhead this summer.
The Celtic winger shone in the World Cup with Japan and Inamura has admitted that seeing Maeda on the biggest footballing platform has made him determined to reach that stage with FC Tokyo.
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Daizen Maeda helped convince Inamura to leave Celtic
Inamura is yet to be capped by Japan but speaking back in his homeland it is not only clear he wants to remedy that, but take the next biggest step.
The former Celtic defender told Soccer Magazine, “It might be presumptuous of me to say this, but I was reminded once again of what wonderful players they [Maeda and Nagamoto] are.”
“I’ve always watched them with respect. But after we lost to Brazil, I really wanted to be on that stage. On the other hand, I also felt like I was still far away, and I realised that I need to keep building on this for the next four years and increase my growth rate even more to catch up.”
Hayato Inamura believes leaving Celtic can fulfil World Cup dream
Reaching the World Cup is a huge pinnacle to any player’s career but Inamura has a firm belief that he can do that at FC Tokyo.
The Japanese defender continued, “That’s absolutely true [leaving Celtic to realise his World Cup dream].
“And as I said when I went to Celtic, I want to make the path I’ve chosen the right one. It’s not exactly a restart from here, but I want to work hard to aim higher once again.”
Inamura believes regular football gives him the best opportunity to force his way into Japan’s plans over the next four years. If he succeeds, his move away from Celtic will have achieved exactly what he hoped it would.
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