Daizen Maeda doesn’t always steal the headlines. But when an ex-Rangers captain turns around and names him the standout from two Glasgow Derbies? That says it all.
Barry Ferguson, who stepped in as interim Rangers boss near the end of last season, wasn’t short on respect for Celtic. And when asked who stood out most from those derbies, his answer was clear, it was Maeda.
Not a flashy winger. Just a relentless, intelligent forward who terrorised Rangers’ backline without ever letting up. Ferguson’s praise cuts through the noise. It wasn’t about tricks. It was about attitude and intensity.
For a Celtic side now without Kyogo, Matt O’Riley or Nicolas Kuhn, players like Maeda, and leaders like Callum McGregor, are more vital than ever.
He said: (Go Radio Football Show), “(Daizen) Maeda was the one that that stood out for me. Just his work ethic.
“I mean, real good quality. I thought when he first came in, his final product in the final third sometimes let him down. But once you see him close up, you realise he’s a player.
“He’s the one, apart from Callum McGregor who makes them tick, that wins them games. Not just with his quality on the ball, but without the ball too. That’s what jumped out at me.
“At times, he was way beyond the left back, helping out. Then there was one moment when the ball went out for a throw, I was standing there, and he’s actually bigger than you’d think. Built like a brick. I can’t say the rest, but yeah, he impressed me.
“Generally when you’re playing and you see centre-forwards where he was playing for Celtic, probably in the last six months of the season, when it goes from centre-back to centre-back then back to the goalkeeper, most centre-forwards just lay off it. But when it went centre-back to centre-back then back to the keeper, he was pressing non-stop.
“The energy levels he produces are phenomenal.
“But it was the quality that surprised me. I was taken aback at how good he was.
“He was one player we earmarked. You can’t give him any space. You need to be touch tight with him constantly. If you give him a yard, he will destroy you.
“I’m surprised nobody in the Premier League has been sniffing around him. Could he do it there? Yeah, 100 percent he could.”
That’s the level Maeda’s hitting. Not just for effort, but for real impact. Ferguson didn’t need to praise him. But he did, because Maeda gave him no option.
It matches what fans see every week. His pressing never stops. He defends like a full-back. And his runs? Total nightmare for defenders.
Rodgers sees it. Celtic fans see it. Now even Rangers figures are giving him credit.
With Maeda’s contract up in two years, the Hoops are desperate to get a new deal sorted.
If they can’t, they’ll realistically have to sell him soon. And with so many players already out the door this summer, it feels unthinkable that Maeda would be next.
