Chris Sutton has been talking up Daizen Maeda after his terrific display for Celtic at the weekend.
The Japan international was one of our top performers as we saw off Livingston to secure another three points in the Premiership.
Manager Brendan Rodgers was blown away by Maeda’s effort at the Tony Macaroni, saying that the attacker puts in the work of two players. That was particularly valuable at the weekend, given that we played the majority of the match with ten men.
Sutton has joined those praising Maeda, talking up his appetite in derby matches and forecasting a position change somewhere down the line.
“You look at the games against Rangers. I’d bet Maeda is one of the first names on the team sheet,” he told the Daily Record.
“He completely nullifies the attacking threat of James Tavernier down that flank – while also posing a danger himself. He’s been absolutely vital in these games. Tavernier’s heart must sink when he sees his name on the team sheet.
“In games like Saturday’s, he’s worth his weight in gold. Rodgers could keep two men up front because he knew Maeda would cover the yards.
“I know Rodgers sees him as a central striker and the only question was about his finishing if he plays there. It doesn’t hold him back when he plays for Japan.
“He played there in pre-season and he really looked the part. But I understand why he’s been used more out wide again because Celtic have injuries in those areas and new signings who are still getting up to speed. We might see him moving inside more once Liel Abada is back and Luis Palma and Marco Tillio are fully integrated into the squad. But I’m convinced Maeda will only get better.
“He’s only 25 and is developing all the time. It doesn’t really matter where he is on the pitch as you know he’s going to work the legs off defenders and really help his team.”
Maeda’s stock is certainly rising at Celtic. He still has his frustrating moments — often when we’re in need of a bit of composure at a critical juncture. But his work-rate makes it hard to stay angry at him for too long.
It is interesting to consider him playing through the middle in the future. As Sutton points out, that’s where he predominately plays for his country. He looks dangerous there too.
Maeda also played up front in some of our early pre-season fixtures. However, our take on that was that he was simply filling in while Kyogo Furuhashi and Hyeongyu Oh got up to speed.
Time will tell whether his future lies through the middle. Even playing on the wing, he is likely to contribute a fair amount of goals. Saturday was his 20th goal for Celtic. That’s only nine fewer than Liel Abada — who is widely felt to be a great goal-getter and joined six months prior to Maeda.
In other news, the trademark Brendan Rodgers devilment is back as he delivers promising Celtic thoughts
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