Brendan Rodgers looks set to give Tomoki Iwata more starting opportunities at Celtic after being left impressed by his performances in training and matches.
The Japanese midfielder was signed during Ange Postecoglou’s tenure at the club but has barely featured under Rodgers, making just a solitary start this season.
However, that came on Wednesday night at home to Hibernian in a 4-1 win. Iwata was a solid performer throughout and his inclusion had the added effect of freeing up Callum McGregor to play further forward in the midfield.
Rodgers has now shared Iwata would have featured more before now but has been battling injury issues. The chances of more match action over the coming period are good.
Brendan Rodgers happy with Tomoki Iwata Celtic progress
The Celtic boss said [Football Scotland]: “It would have happened before but he wasn’t available.
“Whatever the game needs, that’s something we will look at. He’s shown up very well in training and in the games where he’s come in, he’s done well. Against a good side like Hibs, you can see it’s something that can function well.”
On the topic of tweaking McGregor’s role, Rodgers added: “He’s an absolutely incredible player and captain of the team. Whether he plays as an 8, an inverted full back, a controller, wherever, he plays the game to the highest level.
“He’s a brilliant example for the other players. If you talk about an ideal footballer, having mental strength and the ability to interpret different systems, being competitive, having quality and being physically brave, he’s all of that. He’s the ideal footballer you would want in your team.”
It seems then that the Celtic boss was pretty happy with how his midfield looked against Hibs. It stands to reason that will continue for the trip to Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Iwata is also registered in the UEFA squad so could even feature against Feyenoord next week, too.
McGregor hasn’t been at his best in that ‘number six’ position this term and if he manages to make a bigger impact in more advanced positions with Reo Hatate out, Iwata will undoubtedly get more chances, too.
In other news, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers gets honest with Mikey Johnston after Lennoxtown chat.
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