KYOGO FURUHASHI has thumped in 42 goals for Celtic since his £4.6million arrival from Vissel Kobe in July 2021.
The pacy Japanese international striker hit the ground running and claimed 20 strikes in his debut campaign – despite missing FOUR months through injury.
Kyogo has picked up the pace in his second campaign and has blasted his way to 22 goals with potentially 16 games still to play, starting with the Viaplay League Cup Final at Hampden on Sunday afternoon.
NET PROFIT…Kyogo Furuhashi celebrates scoring Celtic’s opening goal in the 5-0 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in August.
That prolific striking rate has led to the usual transfer links with clubs across the border, with Odsonne Edouard’s Crystal Palace among them, but the 28-year-old hitman is showing no interest in leaving the champions.
The modest marksman said: “Obviously, I’m not a great player, so I still need to keep working on my game and improving.
“My positional play, for example, or the timing when I offer myself for a pass, or that I will be even more varied in my finishing.
“I keep working on those things in training so that I can implement all of these processes in the game in the best possible way.
“I am very grateful because I have great team-mates, club staff and fans who all always support me. Fans who cheer me on, a team of coaches who trust me as well as team-mates who fight for the ball with a lot of physical effort and create chances with wonderful passes.
“I want to repay everyone’s trust by scoring goals, running a lot, with and without the ball, to help the team win.”
THE EQUALISER…Kyogo Furuhashi slames in Celtic’s second goal in the 2-2 draw at Ibrox last month.
THAT’S MY BHOY…Kyogo Furuhashi is congratulated by Alistair Johnston after his late strike.
Kyogo, speaking to a German media source and reported in the Daily Record, continued: “After the World Cup squad announcement, I immediately switched my mind and concentrated on the upcoming Celtic Champions League game against Real Madrid.
“However, I wasn’t able to play the way I had hoped for and I was, therefore, no help to our team.
“But I was very happy that my team-mates kept encouraging me to help build me up again. So, I was very determined to do even better and score more goals to not only win matches, but to make all my team-mates smile.
“And during the World Cup, I was really inspired by the fighting spirit of the Japanese internationals. It was a bit different than watching previous tournaments because this time it was all players that I played with.
“This made me want to work on my skills even more and improve the quality of my game. I think that my development curve is currently pointing in a good direction.”
CAPITAL SHOW…Kyogo Furuhashi accepts the acclaim of the Celtic fans after his goal in the 4-0 triumph over Hibs at Easter Road in December.
Dismissing transfer speculation, Kyogo added: “I want to be as successful as possible with this club. My focus is only on Celtic to be able to have the most possible success for the club.
“As a team, we want to win as many titles as possible with Celtic. As my personal goal, I would like to score 30 goals this season.
“But, of course, I don’t know what will happen in the future.
“So, I just want to score as many goals as possible and contribute to the team’s victory.”
Kyogo’s immediate focus is on Sunday as Celtic aim to retain the League Cup they won last season when two goals from the Japanese ace helped to overcome Hibs in a dramatic finale to the competition.
