ANGE POSTECOGLOU praised his defender Yuki Kobayashi after playing 90 minutes against Kilmarnock at the weekend.
The Japanese defender has had to be patient to get game time with the favoured pairing of CCV and Carl Starfelt the foundation for the Hoops success in recent times.
The Celtic manager gave CCV the day off, not wanting to risk the American international on the Kilmarnock artificial surface. Kobayashi got the nod and didn’t disappoint.
The Japanese defender looked calm and assured despite not having much game time over the past few months.
It’s clear to see there’s a player there and we’re likely to see more of Yuki next season as Ange evolves his side.
Speaking after the match, Ange told Record Sport he thought the player hadn’t put a foot wrong:
“I thought he was really good. It wasn’t easy to play on the surface and they were physical.
“It was good to get him 90 minutes, but in all the games he’s played, he’s hardly put a foot wrong and he’s growing as a player.
“That’s always going to be the challenge. If it’s not Cameron or Carl, it’ll be someone else.
“All good clubs won’t just have two good centre-halves. We want more in each position, challenging.”
We could see more of Yuki between now and the end of the season. After the Scottish Cup semi-final, the bhoys will behind their final run for the title, with games to spare, the bhoys in green can afford to bleed new players into the side.
