New Celtic player Kyogo Furuhashi has spoken to the club about his arrival, his first game and some other key issues.
The former J-League top scorer signed in a very sudden move from Vissel Kobe two weeks ago. Subsequently, he scored his final goal for the Japanese side, spent some time in quarantine, and has even debuted for the club, against Hearts at the weekend.
The Japanese forward has now given a full-length interview with Celtic’s in-house media. Regarding his debut, Furuhashi said [Celtic FC]:
“Firstly, the result. We lost the game, which was very hard to take. Despite that, even though I had just finished quarantine, I was so happy to get the call for the match.
“Even though it was away, I was delighted to be able to make my debut. But to be honest, personally, my part in the match itself didn’t go the way I would have liked.
“If I get a chance in the next game, I want to perform to a level I can be satisfied with, with the type of play that will contribute to the team’s victory.”
Kyogo Furuhashi on training with Celtic for the first time, Shunsuke Nakamura
On training, and the influence of Celtic hero Shunsuke Nakamura, Furuhashi said [Celtic FC]:
“[Training] was intense right from the start. I really enjoyed it.
“Even now, Nakamura is still playing in Japan. He is thought of as a legend. Though for me as a player, I’d like to play in my own style, and to build up my own standing.
“I actually had a chance to speak with him, [he said] “Just play your own way”. That’s what he told me. I was grateful to hear that.”
Kyogo Furuhashi sounds ruthlessly determined to make his own mark at Celtic
Of course, people are going to link multi-million pound Japanese Celtic players to each other. Nakamura set a benchmark, not just for players of his nationality, but for all technically-minded attackers that have worn the Hoops since.
However, Furuhashi just isn’t the same kind of player. He’s a more direct attacking threat, running at players with speed and guile, capable of starting and finishing moves on his own.
How distraught he was about losing against Hearts, and not hitting his own standards, is a massively encouraging sign for Celtic supporters. The sheer determination Furuhashi speaks with really is encouraging, and not in a “we were unlucky to lose, we’ll go again next week” kind of way.
Whether it’s translation, or a resistance to cliché, the former J-League star is blunt, ambitious and has sky-high expectations of himself. That sounds more than a little akin to the personality of our new manager.
Furuhashi should get the call again, but this time to start for Celtic. FK Jablonec are the opposition in just a few hours’ time, and it’ll be fascinating to see what kind of impact Celtic’s newest Japanese talent can conjure up.
In other news: We’re on our way to Paradise
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