Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi is now up to four goals in his first two pre-season matches after a hat-trick last night against Queen’s Park.
The Japan international took his first and third strikes in expert fashion. Admittedly, his second was a fortuitous ricochet from a Matt O’Riley effort, but attackers don’t care how they come about!
Nonetheless, Furuhashi is already hitting his stride in the early innings of the new campaign, prompting Brendan Rodgers to laud the example he is setting for young players at Celtic.
Rodgers stated: “It’s only pre-season, but like I said to the young players before the game, this is a big opportunity for you as a senior player, a young player, to go and make a good start. He’s hit four goals in two games, which is great.”
Taking his turn, Furuhashi has now delivered his verdict on what has become a mini-scoring spree ahead of the Bhoys’ USA tour.
Kyogo Furuhashi’s verdict on hat-trick display
Speaking post-match, Furuhashi answered a series of questions about his performance, appetite for more goals, and the upcoming tour of the United States.
Firstly, when prompted, he stated on his hat trick and now being up to four goals in two pre-season friendlies: “I had a lot of chances to score; I still need to improve on that.”
Thereafter, Furuhashi explained when asked about why him not being satisfied with a hat trick is encouraging for the season ahead: “There is still enough time before the season starts. So I would like to improve my conditions and keep working hard.”
Moving on to the tour of the States, the 29-year-old shared his excitement at the prospect, as he said: “We are very excited, and I hope all the fans are excited as well as us. So, since we will be heading to the United States soon, I am hoping to make thorough preparations to have a great match.”
Finally, responding in English, Furuhashi thanked the fans in excitable fashion, saying, ‘Thank you, thank you very much, thank you’ before smiling as he went off-camera.
Kyogo Furuhashi shows clinical Celtic edge in pre-season
It is early days, but seeing Furuhashi’s movement and finishing ability in full flow was a welcome sight after a long summer without Celtic.
Clearly, he is motivated to have another excellent season in green and white and is setting a high bar for himself to achieve these aspirations.
Last term, he netted 19 times in 50 matches for the Bhoys across all competitions, a tally he will be desperate to surpass in 2024/25.
If Furuhashi keeps up his pre-season momentum, there is every chance he could go on to have a productive campaign leading the line under Rodgers’ stewardship.
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