Celtic boss Martin O’Neill has shared how Reo Hatate has promised to turn around his poor form ahead of the Europa League clash against VfB Stuttgart.
Hatate, bizarrely, has been one of Celtic’s best players in the Europa League despite his poor domestic form this season.
And the Celtic manager has shared a conversation with Hatate as O’Neill rejects the notion the midfielder has downed tools.
You can only keep one of Daizen Maeda or Reo Hatate at Celtic…
Who do you pick?
O’Neill told The Herald, “I don’t think that’s, no, That might have existed in the last couple of months or something. But now, since the window, no, he just has to try and regain form. I don’t think that’s the case.
“He wants to knuckle down. He said this to me. He wants to really knuckle down. I think that there’s, you know, some of these lads are concerned about maybe not getting into the (Japan) squad in the summertime.
“I think that eventually will be some sort of by-product of what you do here. He’s really got to knuckle down and be the player that he was. I think you’d tell me he was a proper player about two years ago.”
Martin O’Neill shares Reo Hatate’s Celtic ‘frustration’
While Hatate took Scottish football by storm when he first arrived at Celtic over four years ago now, O’Neill says the Japan midfielder is ‘frustrated’ that he can’t seem to recapture that magic again.
“I think he’s searching for form. I think that’s what it is,” continued O’Neill, “And in fairness to the lad, he wants, you know, seriously, he wants to stay for extra.
“He wants to do things. He’s not the first one to leave the pitch at the end (of training). I think he’s frustrated with it because of the player that he was. And then he has to find the reasons for it.
How much would you sell Reo Hatate for?
“And I must admit, I haven’t had enough time to look back at his glory moments and see what he was doing then, doing differently now, or not doing now that he did then.
“So I haven’t had a chance to see it. Obviously, the people around the football club tell me. It would be better if I checked it out myself or got a better understanding of it.
“He wants the full commitment now, between now and the end of the season. And that’s what he wants to do.”
Hatate seems like a player who no longer wants to be at Celtic and his performances show it. If the Japanese midfielder really is committed to the club, fans will be hoping that the Hoops hero turns in a performance of old against Stuttgart tonight.
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