Reo Hatate says he is focused and ready to perform under Brendan Rodgers, having been challenged by the manager to up his levels in a Celtic shirt.
Hatate was signed by the previous manager Ange Postecoglou from Japan and the Australian always seemed to get something special out of his J-League contingent.
With the midfielder not quite hitting the heights at times this season, some have wondered whether he has been impacted by the departure of his former boss to Tottenham Hotspur.
However, he has refused to use that as an excuse for recent struggles and spoke passionately about progressing under Rodgers in the wake of his superb performance against Kilmarnock.
Hatate said [Daily Record, 09/10 print edition, page 37]: “It’s a different way to work with him and I’m enjoying it. Working under different managers can always be difficult, but I just want to put in my performance whoever the manager is. I can’t make an excuse because the gaffer is different. My strong point is to be able to work under any circumstances, so that’s how I try to perform.
“I wasn’t really concerned after the manager left. With the current manager, it’s different but I’ve already had three or four occasions to speak with him personally. I’m convinced about his plan and I believe that I can improve myself under this manager.”
It’s great to hear positive messaging from Hatate. What he’s saying here certainly backs up what we witnessed over the weekend. He was a stand-out against Killie and fully deserved his man-of-the-match nod.
Hatate can be crucial over the course of this season but he needs to maintain these levels now. Rodgers has made that clear and it’s now up to the player to keep his place in the team. He won’t be selected by default.
But it sounds as if he knows that fine and is determined to push on in green and white. The best could be yet to come.
In other news, Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell speaks out on concerning fixture issue
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