New signing Kyogo Furuhashi is unlikely to be available for Saturday night’s game against Hearts at Tynecastle, according to the Daily Record.
The Record reports that it’s likely going to be another week before the Japanese international will be able to make his Celtic debut.
Furuhashi stated when he signed that he wanted to be ready and available to play the first league game. That takes place on Saturday night, with the player still in quarantine.
It remains to be seen if he’ll be included in Celtic’s next European squad, regardless of whether we’re in Champions League or Europa League qualifying. If not, his debut could be against Dundee on August 7th.
That means Celtic will have to go with Odsonne Edouard and Albian Ajeti as their striker options at Tynecastle. Leigh Griffiths is currently injured with no confirmation as of yet as to whether that will leave him out of the Edinburgh trip.
Prospect of introducing Kyogo Furuhashi to Celtic fans is generating excitement
There’s no denying the excitment surrounding the Furuhashi situation at the moment. Celtic fans have long wanted the club to make the most of the talent that comes out of Japan.
That we now have the J-League’s best striker at Parkhead makes for intriguing viewing. We all expect him to be a roaring success in Glasgow. However, at the same time, it’s important he’s integrated into things at the right time.
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A debut goal would only increase the size of the hype train further. It’s fair to say he would have his best chance of doing that against Dundee at Parkhead. It looks the ideal time to integrate him into the team and get used to our way of playing.
Moving from Japan to Scotland can’t be underestimated in terms of the culture shock that will hit the player. He’ll quickly realise how different the footballing environment is in Glasgow. How he reacts to that will be key in determining whether he’s a success or not.
He’s certainly a player that’s exciting the support. His goal return and reputation back in his homeland is impressive. The sooner we get him onto the pitch, the better. But it looks as though that may not be against Hearts.