REO HATATE made his debut for Japan in their 1-1 draw in the World Cup qualifier against Vietnam today.
The good news for Celtic is that the 24-year-old midfielder came through his first appearance without mishap.
Hatate, who scored a memorable double when the clubs last met at the start of last month, will be fit for Sunday’s visit to Ibrox to take on Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s outfit as the Hoops hope for the win that will double their advantage at the Premiership pinnacle to six points with only six games still to play.
GOVAN GREEN LIGHT…Reo Hatate will be fit for Sunday’s derby at Ibrox.
The all-action Bhoy, who arrived along with Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi in a triple raid on the J-League on Hogmanay, played the opening 45 minutes before head coach Hajime Moriyasu changed the team’s formation at the interval.
Japan qualified for the Finals in Qatar in the winter following their 2-0 win over Australia last week.
Hatate’s team-mate Maeda, who withdrew from the squad because of “fitness concerns”, will also be available for the weekend.
