Celtic have been handed renewed hope that Kyogo Furuhashi will be available for Ange Postecoglou to call upon for the rearranged Glasgow Derby game on February 2nd 2022. The Japanese International was the star of the show as Celtic won the League Cup thanks to a brace from the attacker.
However, there were fears that the Japan National Team would call up Kyogo for their crucial games against China and Saudi Arabia. The home games are scheduled to be played on the 27th of January 2022 and the 1st of February 2022, meaning that if Kyogo were to be called up, he would certainly miss the Glasgow Derby at Celtic Park.
Boss Hajime Moriyasu confirmed (as reported by the Sun) that he was unsure whether or not he would be able to call upon foreign-based players for their World Cup Qualifiers.
“I am very worried about the situation for the qualifiers. I have no choice but to follow the government directives for the games so I have to wait until nearer the ties to decide on the squad.
“We obviously want to select our strongest team and I hope to find a solution to the matter. The sooner the situation is concluded, the better it is for me to prepare.”
Celtic would also miss out on Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi for these games, if they are to sign the trio from the J-League. The decision to postpone the games against Hibernian and Rangers, allowing an extended winter break will mean that both supporters are back in the grounds for these crucial games but that the manager can call upon those that have suffered fitness woes.
