CELTIC’S in-form double-act Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate have been hit by an astonishing snub by Japanese boss Hajime Moriyasu.
The international chief overlooked the Hoops pair for the World Cup Finals last year and he has done so again for his squad for the forthcoming games against Uruguay and Colombia.
Moriyasu says the “level of the league” in Scotland was one of the factors behind his decision to ignore the claims of 26-goal Kyogo and Hatate whose form in recent months has soared to new levels.
Bizarrely, Daizen Maeda gets the nod to join the pool of players for the international double-header.
FAR EASTERN PROMISE…Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate join Daizen Maeda, Tomoki Iwata and Yuki Kobayashi following the 2-1 League Cup triumph at Hampden last month.
Maybe someone should remind Moriyasu that the lightning-swift raider plays in the same league as his Hoops team-mates.
The Japanese gaffer, in a report in the Daily Record, said: “I’ve watched all of Celtic’s games and seen what they’ve accomplished and their presence in the team. But there’s no bar to clear to be called up; it’s a comprehensive decision.
“We think about the level of the league and various other factors when making the decision. For this squad we focused on the squad from Qatar as well as some new players.
“There will be other call-ups. As I said, we’re trying to build strongest team possible ahead of 2026.
QATAR HERO…Daizen Maeda scores for Japan in their 1-1 draw with Croatia before the 3-1 loss on penalty-kicks.
“In order to do that we’re taking a wide view of how to build the team.As I think we all agree, (Hatate and Kyogo) would absolutely be able to contribute to the team, but this time I wanted to try out some different players and that’s why they weren’t selected.”
It’s odd reasoning from Moriyasu who saw his team go out of the World Cup Finals in Qatar in December following a 3-1 penalty-kick shoot-out loss to Croatia after a 1-1 draw.
Maeda scored their goal that day, but a natural goalscorer such as Kyogo, who is only four strikes short of half a century for Celtic, could have swung the balance.
