ANGE POSTECOGLOU is adamant Reo Hatate is on his way to becoming a national treasure – even if the midfielder is not involved in Japan’s World Cup bid in the Qatar showpiece next month and December.
The Celtic boss is delighted with his 24-year-old dynamo who arrived on Hogmanay along with Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi following the manager’s ground-breaking and adventurous triple swoop on the J-League.
Hatate has played consistently well right from the off when he won the Man of the Match accolade after his performance in the 2-0 win over Hibs when the Premiership restarted on January 17.
NET PROPHET…Reo Hatate celebrates his clever goal in the 4-0 win at Motherwell.
And the lively middle-of-the-park operator took centre stage when he clipped in a double in the 3-0 romp against Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Ibrox side just over two weeks later.
It was a whirlwind victory that put the Hoops at the top of the league for the first time in 18 months and it was a position they occupied for the remainder of the crusade as they lifted their tenth championship in 11 years.
Hatate, who netted an exquisite goal in the 4-0 Premier Sports League Cup triumph over Motherwell at Fir Park in midweek, is likely to be a key man when the title winners take on Hearts at Tynecastle today with a 12.30pm kick-off.
Japanese head coach Hajime Moriyasu is currently putting together his squad which will be announced a week on Tuesday for the soccer extravaganza with Hatate’s team-mates Kyogo Furuhashi and Maeda also in his thoughts.
THREE AND EASY…Reo Hatate bamboozles the Motherwell defence as he scores No.3 at Fir Park.
JOY BHOYS…Sead Haksabanovic congratulates Reo Hatate after his improvised strike.
Speaking of the global competition, Postecoglou said: “I’m sure that is in Reo’s mind. It is sometimes hard with national teams because it all depends on the manager and what he is looking for and also the other players in the position he’s in.
“They have got a pretty experienced midfield pedigree in the Japanese national team, so it is pretty hard for someone like him to break through, but it is not going to stop him from trying.
“He’s very ambitious, but, at the same time, he has been very good at focusing on making himself a strong member of this club first.
“His performances for us are the most important thing and he hasn’t had his focus taken away by what is happening at national team level, whether he has been in the squad or not played. He’s always come back here with a real determination to make an impact.”
Postecoglou, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “With the Japanese team traditionally, someone like Reo is still seen as a young player and, because of that, sometimes they take a little bit more time to integrate them.
“Maybe it’ll be that this World Cup has come too early for him, but I don’t think it will stop his determination to try and get into it. And, if he doesn’t, I’m sure he will put his head down and make sure post-World Cup that he is a strong member of their national team.”
DELIGHTED…Ange Postecoglou rates Reo Hatate highly.
The Greek-Australian gaffer insisted Hatate’s main focus is on performing well for his club side and admitted he was delighted with his form.
He added: “Yes absolutely. I knew what I was getting. He’s a very talented footballer.
“I have tried to explain to people that, although he’s 24, he’s only really three or four years in professional football and there is more to come from him.
“He is adapting really well to both life here and football here in Europe and Scotland, more specifically. He’s a very determined young man and very ambitious.
“He’s constantly asking questions about how he can be better and I know there is more to come because, like I said, if you ignore his age and look at how much experience he has actually had, you know if he keeps improving at this rate he is going to be a fantastic footballer.”
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