Celtic winger Daizen Maeda is currently with the Japanese national team ahead of the upcoming Asian Cup. The electric winger returned from injury for the Hoops last month and scored against St. Mirren in the final game prior to the winter break.
This put him in good stead before he joined up with his country’s squad. Despite being fully fit, though, Maeda has been put on a different training programme to his Japanese teammates.
According to Soccer King, along with Huddersfield defender Yuta Nakayama, Maeda has been ‘adjusted to a different menu’ in training to ensure he is in the best possible condition going into the Samurai Blue’s Asian Cup opener. That game takes place on Sunday versus Vietnam.
It remains to be seen why Maeda has been handed a different regime, although one can only presume it’s because he recently returned from a long-term injury. In fairness, he only came back into the fray for Celtic on the 16th of December, but he has proved a key contributor since doing so.
The 26-year-old will aim to transfer such effectiveness onto the international stage and ensure his country comes away with their fifth Asian Cup when the tournament ends on the 10th of February.
