Reo Hatate advised new Celtic signing Yuki Kobayashi to rest as much as possible prior to his big move to Scotland, having experienced fatigue after his switch last season.
Kobayashi, like Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi before him, are arriving in Glasgow after a long J-League season that is played over the summer and autumn.
This period is effectively their off-season, but Kobayashi will be expected to go for a further five or six months in an effort to settle in at the Bhoys.
For Hatate in particular that was a challenge last term, as he admitted himself in interviews. And he’s used that experience to help out his new teammate.
Speaking in a fan media conference today, Kobayashi said when asked about potential fatigue by 20 Minute Tims: “Reo directly told me the importance of having enough rest, so I took that advice and had enough rest and I am fresh, so I think I will be okay.”
The 22-year-old also said, when asked about speaking to his compatriots at Celtic: “They’ve told me about the atmosphere, the team, the stadium, the city. All the comments were positive so I’ve come here with a good impression.”
After the success of most previous Japanese signings at the Bhoys, clearly there’s a confidence that Kobayashi similarly settles well and gets stuck into the task of securing a first-team position.
With Hatate already helping out and the others sure to play a leadership role with Kobayashi too, he has as good a chance as anyone of making an impact.
In other news, Report: Celtic showing interest in 9-goal Dutch attacker.
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