Stiliyan Petrov hits back at what he’s heard about Celtic hero Daizen Maeda amid difficult form

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Daizen Maeda has made his feelings about his situation at Celtic clear.

The forward, who is the side’s reigning player of the year under Brendan Rodgers, revealed that he had hoped to leave the club this summer whilst on international duty with Japan.

However, with the club unable to sign adequate forward options in the transfer market, they were unable to facilitate his exit.

This left Rodgers with one of his main players publicly unsettled, amid an inconsistent start to his third full season at Celtic.

Former Hoops man Stiliyan Petrov has been in a similar position before, when he infamously sulked during the Hoops’ title celebrations in 2006 – he has compared Maeda’s situation to his own.

Stiliyan Petrov on Daizen Maeda Celtic situation

Petrov only spent one season under Gordon Strachan at Celtic – and it was a time of great change. In April, with the season still to finish, the club rejected an official transfer request from the Bulgarian.

Speaking ahead of the Hoops’ Europa League draw against Red Star Belgrade on TNT Sports, he discussed Maeda from his own his experienced perspective.

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Petrov said: “Yeah, I had the same situation with Gordon Strachan when I wanted to leave. And it was a difficult situation.

“But when you have a relationship with a manager, and you’ve been at the club for a long time, you know what’s required.

“And with Daizen Maeda, I think it’s the Japanese culture that they won’t kick up a fuss and make a problem. And now he realises that maybe he had a promise, he had a chance to leave.

“But he’s at Celtic, and you have to perform. And he’s been performing. A lot of people have been picking up on his performances, but I don’t think that the team itself has performed well so far, and he’s part of that.

“But I think when the team starts playing well and playing the way they can, I think he’ll become an important player.”

Has Daizen Maeda lost his place in the Celtic starting eleven?

The performance levels of new signings Kelechi Iheanacho and Sebastian Tounekti may have an impact on Maeda’s place in the Celtic pecking order.

Both have shown their match-winning quality, and should Rodgers’ decision to substitute Maeda at half-time in Belgrade be anything to go by, the Japan forward may be set for a few games starting on the bench.

No one in the Hoops support can deny Maeda’s qualities – it’s something that no one else in the squad can offer.

But after what was surely a turbulent time in his life, it’s understandable that Maeda is not currently at his best, and a spell without starting could help with that.