UNSTOPPABLE Daizen Maeda fired a double past Craig Gordon to hoist this season’s goal tally to a highly-impressive 30 strikes.
The winger has answered Brendan Rodgers’ SOS to lead the Hoops frontline after the £10million exit of his fellow-Japanese international Kyogo Furuhashi to French club Rennes in January.
Maeda emphasised his worth to the team with his first-half counters as they saw off Hearts 3-0 to remain 13 points ahead in their pursuit of the inevitable fourth successive title.
THREE CHEERS…Arne Engels and Filipe Jota celebrate Daizen Maeda’s opening goal against Hearts.
Rodgers was expected to bring in a replacement hitman for the fans’ favourite who claimed 85 goals in his three and a half years in Glasgow following his £4.6million arrival from J-League Vissel Kobe in July 2021.
However, the transfer window came and went without a successor to Kyogo which left Rodgers with only Adam Idah and inexperienced Johnny Kenny, still awaiting his first goal, as natural attacking spearheads.
Maeda, though, has accepted the role to move in from the flank and has thumped in 17 goals since the turn of the year.
Kyogo’s most successful goalscoring season came in 2022/23 when he collected 34 goals – with Maeda now within striking distance of beating his compatriot’s record.
The bargain £1million buy from Yokohama F Marinos in January 2022 has seven Premiership outings and, hopefully, two Scottish Cup-ties to equal and surpass Kyogo’s best.
Rodgers has been urging club supremo Dermot Desmond to make the pacy touchline performer an offer he can’t refuse to keep him at Parkhead behind his current contract that is due to expire in June 2027.
TOP MAN…Daizen Maeda is hoisted high by Filipe Jota after netting No.1 v Hearts.
The Hoops gaffer admitted the stand-out stand-in striker may save the club shelling out a massive fee to buy a new out-and-out hitman during the summer transfer window.
Rodgers told the Scottish Sun: “I feel it’s one where if we were to move Daizen back on to the side and take him out of the middle — with all due respect — it’s probably easier for us to bring in a top winger than it would be a top striker.
“But he can quite clearly play the position – and I’m so happy that he can.”
Maeda stepping into a central role has opened the way for returning hero Filipe Jota to play on the left flank since his £8.5million recruitment from Rennes at the turn of the year.
The Portuguese maverick netted Celtic’s other goal against Hearts when he snapped onto a rebound from a Maeda header that struck the post.
It was Jota’s fourth strike since sealing his return to the champions.
