Japan boss Moriyasu gives Kyogo rehab insight after discussions with Celtic figures

By Euan Davidson

February 25, 2022

Japan boss Hajime Moriyasu has given an update on Celtic star Kyogo Furuhashi.

Kyogo, an absolutely stellar signing from Ange Postecoglou, has been out since before the turn of the year. His hamstring issues remerged against St Johnstone, and he’s been out ever since. Daizen Maeda and Giorgos Giakoumakis have filled in ably in his place, but the Celtic support still very much miss the star man.

Moriyasu, assessing his options for the next round of Japan call-ups, has spoken to a litany of coaches in Europe, including Ange Postecoglou. The Japan manager gave an optimistic outlook for Kyogo, which will surely be music to Celtic supporting ears.

Not only that, he detailed his discussions with senior figures at Celtic, and described his pride about Japanese players playing well for the Bhoys. Moriyasu said [Gekisaka]: “He’s not ready to play but his rehab is proceeding on track.

“It’s not clear [whether he’ll be ready for] the next call-up, but I want to look at his condition and make a decision on that.

“I spoke to Ange and Celtic’s CEO and GM, but they had so much praise for how the Japanese players have performed, and it made me proud as a fellow Japanese. [Ange] told me important the next match against Australia will be.

“He told me how well Japan is forming as a team and he spoke in a way that indicated he’s watching our games regularly.”

Improved Celtic with Kyogo back leading the line would petrify any defence

Firstly, is it concerning that we’re hearing about one of our players from an international manager? Maybe. Do we care? That’s perhaps the real question.

Hearing that Kyogo’s recovery is on track is absolutely superb news. No, there’s no timeline yet, and we don’t know when we’ll see him back in the Hoops. But that there’s nothing knocking him off-course as he recovers from hamstring problems is a potential boost.

There’s probably enough for Celtic, attacking-wise, to compete across the fronts we have left this season. Adding Kyogo back to the mix later on in the campaign, though? Well, that’d be a significant boost now, wouldn’t it?

It’s also interesting to hear the Japanese perspective on Celtic. The respect Ange Postecoglou has for the Japan set-up, and the J League, is obvious, and it’s no surprise why that’s the case. Having brought in Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi and Reo Hatate in the winter window, there’s a very clear and respectful view of Japanese talent from a Celtic perspective.

All are very different players, bringing very different traits. Maeda has scored 4 times, Reo Hatate has been a creative revelation. We’re still to see the best of Yosuke Ideguchi, given his own injury woes, but so far he’s looked promising.

It’s great stuff from Moriyasu. And it’s great to hear that Kyogo is doing well in his rehab.

Read more: The Celtic problem exposed last night that needs long-term answer from Postecoglou