Ange Postecoglou discusses Yosuke Ideguchi situation at Celtic

By Lewis Laird

April 29, 2022

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has stated he expects Yosuke Ideguchi to be a ‘strong contributor’ when he gets his opportunity in the side.

The Japanese midfielder joined the club in the January transfer window alongside fellow countryman Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate.

With the early success of Kyogo Furuhashi, there was a lot of excitement surrounding the trio, all coming to Glasgow from the J-League.

However, compared to Hatate and Maeda, Ideguchi hasn’t had much of a look-in when it comes to minutes in Ange Postecoglou’s first team.

The 25-year old has made just five appearances this season, making just one start against Alloa Athletic in the Scottish Cup.

During that game, the midfielder was unfortunate to be on the end of a nasty challenge, which resulted in a short injury lay-off in February.

This afternoon, Postecoglou was asked about the success of the four Japanese players since their arrival in Glasgow.

When speaking about Ideguchi, the 56-year old admitted that he had been unfortunate in the number of minutes he had received and stated that he expects to see the midfielder become a ‘strong contributor’, when his chance in the team comes.

Postecoglou said [Celtic FC]: “Ideguchi obviously hasn’t had much of an opportunity, which has been a bit difficult for him and for me because I really think he will be a strong contributor for us when he gets an opportunity.

“But, it’s just the way the games have gone.”

Ideguchi’s time will come

It is unlikely we will see Ideguchi in the next few games, given the consistency of Ange Postecoglou’s teams throughout the season.

However, if the Hoops are able to secure the Premiership title within the next two games, there is a chance we will see the Japanese internationalist in action.

Ultimately, it feels more likely that the midfielder’s time in the team will come next season.

After a strong pre-season and more time to gel with the rest of the squad, Ideguchi could prove to be a good option for Postecoglou to turn to in 2022/23.

The former Socceroos boss has had nothing but praise for the rarely seen January addition. So, it will be interesting to see what his plans are for him going forward.

In other news, Ange delivers Nir Bitton and Josip Juranovic Celtic fitness latest ahead of derby.