Celtic fans got a first taste of Shin Yamada in a competitive capacity over the weekend.
After appearing against Al-Ahli in pre-season and scoring the winning penalty goal in the Como Cup, Yamada made his Celtic debut against Aberdeen on Sunday.
Celtic beat Aberdeen 2-0, with Benjamin Nygren and Reo Hatate netting the goals, whilst Yamada earned around 25 minutes of action after replacing the under-pressure Adam Idah just after the hour mark.
But with Brendan Rodgers looking for more goals via the 2025 summer transfer market, where does Yamada sit right now?
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Shin Yamada’s role under Brendan Rodgers
The Celtic manager has asked for more goals, but Peter Grant wants to know what exactly he is referring to. Grant asked, does Rodgers want another out-and-out striker or a winger?
Either way, Grant also questioned Yamada’s role in the side and mentioned how, when Kyogo Furuhashi joined Celtic, ‘we didn’t know what he was’, before the Japan star became a ‘superstar.’
Added to that, Grant also spoke about how ‘everybody is saying’ that Yamada is ‘quicker’ than the PFA Player of the Year, Daizen Maeda.
“I would like to know what Brendan is looking for,” questioned Grant. “You have got Shin (Yamada) in. If you are seeing Maeda as a striker, and you have Adam Idah.
“When you are saying ‘forwards’, does he mean wide players? Is it wingers he is desperately needing? Or is it another striker? You are saying, if you have three strikers. Maybe the board are sitting and saying, ‘you have got three strikers.’
“I don’t know where Shin is. We didn’t know what Kyogo was when he came, and he ended up being a superstar. So, I don’t know what the boy Shin is; everybody is saying that he is quicker than Maeda. He’s this and that.
“But it’s going to be interesting to see. We only saw him in a small part (against Aberdeen). You have spent a few bob, and he is 25, if I am right.”
Rodgers’ striker options at Celtic
Idah has started up front for the first two Premiership matches, but he isn’t exactly silencing his critics, and he is yet to score.
Celtic play Falkirk in the League Cup on Friday evening, and you wonder who Rodgers will deploy up top, and will he throw Yamada straight into the deep end?
Either way, there are several striker choices for Rodgers to pick from, even if these are options he doesn’t want to use or the fans don’t want to see.
- Adam Idah
- Johnny Kenny
- Daizen Maeda
- Shin Yamada
- Callum Osmand
- Benjamin Nygren
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