Celtic’s Japan tour came to an end on a positive note this weekend. The Hoops defeated Gamba Osaka by a goal to nil yesterday and now, are set to return back home before playing out a friendly with Wolves in Dublin next Saturday.
In the two friendlies the Hoops played out in the land of the rising sun, a few players stood out. Daizen Maeda was at the top of his game meanwhile his compatriot, Reo Hatate, was also on form. The midfielder seems to have picked up from where he left off at the end of the 2022/23 season and on Instagram, gave a defiant message to the Hoops’ support.
A few pictures of his time in Japan were captioned with: “Thank you to the players, staff and supporters of both teams regardless of the season. I’m going hard again this year.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CvCLoVoveol/?igshid=YzcxN2Q2NzY0OA==
Hatate’s second statement is particularly definitive. The Japanese midfielder is clearly focused on Celtic and doing well for the club going into the new campaign. He has left the door open to a big move recently and still will but his mind is strictly on the champions for 2023/24 which is only positive.
Under Brendan Rodgers, he may take up a new midfield role in the Celtic team. His quality and top tier footballing ability, however, will ensure he shines through and is a standout yet again.
