Kyogo Furuhashi has told the Japanese media all about his “fulfilling” debut season at Celtic Park.
The former Vissel Kobe man signed last summer for a sizable £4.6m [Scottish Sun]. However, he’s had no problem living up to the transfer fee which has now become more of a bargain than anything else.
Kyogo ended the campaign with a stunning 20 goals despite being out of action for nearly 4 months. His contribution played a major role in the Hoops winning the Premiership title and Betfred Cup. Things couldn’t have gone much better for the talented forward who’s managed to capture the hearts of the Parkhead support.
And as he now gets set for a period of international football with Japan, he’s been talking up his debut campaign in the media.
As quoted by Soccer-King, Kyogo said: “It seemed like it was a long year, but it ended so quickly, so it was very fulfilling, but I think I still have a lot of work to do. I realized that I still have a lot of growing up to do.
“As I played the games, I had a sense that my strengths were working. I am able to score goals because many players connect with me in front of the goal. I myself am only in a position to score goals by receiving passes, so I am grateful for the support of those around me.
“I think my strength lies in my ability to get through the back, my tactics in front of the goal, and my sense of smell for the goal, so I want to express that [with Japan].”
Kyogo ready to make an impact with Japan after stunning Celtic campaign
Kyogo has been a regular for the Japanese national team stretching back to March 2021. It was clear that he was already making an impact there before he even arrived at Celtic Park.
However, interestingly, goals have deceived him despite being given 11 outings in total. Kyogo only has 3 goals in those matches with his last coming against Tajikistan a year ago. He played 7 of the World Cup qualifying matches without managing to find the net, albeit only 3 came from the starting XI.
He’ll be looking to make a huge impact over the next week with the international friendlies providing him with a big opportunity to stamp his authority on the squad. Japan will face Paraguay and Brazil in friendlies before the Kirin Cup gets underway.
Japan have also already qualified for Qatar 2022. They’ll be there come the end of the year and Kyogo will be itching to cement his place in June’s camp.
Hopefully, Hajime Moriyasu actually looks to invest some faith in Kyogo, who’ll be a Champions League player at Parkhead next season.
Daizen Maeda has also been called up to the squad for the June fixtures. Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi, however, have missed out.
In other news, Video: Celtic boss Fran Alonso’s brilliantly wild celebration after cup final winner
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