Celtic today provided an up-close look at Daizen Maeda in training as his electric pace was on show for the first time for supporters.
Maeda arrived in Scotland earlier this month after the club announced a hugely-exciting triple-deal, with Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi also arriving from Japan.
Maeda in particular stands out after finishing last season as the J-League’s top scorer. And with his pace well-renowned, Hoops fans were today given the opportunity to see it for the first time in Celtic gear:
The clip was taken from the club’s Instagram story, with the account posting several clips of Maeda putting in the hard yards at Lennoxtown today.
It was a class insight for supporters, who simply can’t wait to see what Maeda brings when the competitive action begins.
And whilst we’re at it, what a throw by Joe Hart in the above clip. Another example of his accurate distribution as we prepare for the return of the Premiership.
Daizen Maeda looks to have a quick mind to go with his quick feet
It’s actually a brilliant bit of play in the clip too. The way in which he instantly makes his run as soon as Hart collects the ball is wise. Knowing he can beat the full-back for pace, there’s a sharpness in his mind to make the move immediately.
In Celtic’s other Instagram clips today, Maeda carries out stretching drills as well as ball-carrying and one-v-one exercises. In other words, the club hypes us up ahead of the competitive action restarting again.
Given the J-League campaign, it’ll be interesting to see whether Ange gives his Japanese stars an extended rest. That doesn’t seem likely considering the importance of the upcoming games. It’s certainly going to be an interesting test of their stamina.
Ange hasn’t been afraid to throw new signings in at the deep end either. Kyogo Furuhashi, for example, was given a runout against Hearts on the day he arrived in Scotland. It’s clear Postecoglou’s philosophy is to get them in right away and let them adapt.
Hopefully, that happens with Maeda against Hibernian on the 17th. It’s fair to say he has the skillset to be an absolute sensation in Scottish football. How his skill set matches up with Premiership defenders is certainly going to be interesting.
Fingers crossed we get our first glimpse next Monday night.
In other news, Dutch Report: Celtic-linked Eredivisie winger wants to move abroad
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