Hatate and Co are sending the right message to Forrest
IF Reo Hatate’s debut performance hadn’t done enough to enchant the Celtic fans, a clip of the new signing reacting to the man-of-the-match announcement sealed the deal.
The Japanese midfielder had just been substituted after 75 all-action minutes against Hibernian when the exaggerated tannoy proclamation rang around the stadium.
Hatate had clearly heard his name but the bemusement on his face as James Forrest attempted to explain the significance of the resulted in a clip that went viral on social media.
‘He didn’t have a clue what I was saying,’ chuckled Forrest. ‘I was speaking too Scottish for him, so I somebody else had to tell him. It was funny and someone sent the clip to me.’
Hatate’s show of humility suggests he won’t have too many problems integrating to the Celtic squad and, unlike compatriot Daizen Maeda, the 24-year-old has been spared a disruptive return home for his country’s
World Cup qualifiers against China and Saudi Arabia.
Maeda, too, made a quick impact in the 2-0 win over Hibs, slotting home the opening goal within four minutes but will now be absent for the matches against Hearts, Dundee United and Rangers.
With a third new Japanese face also on board in the form of Yosuke Ideguchi, Ange Postecoglou’s squad has been refreshed and energised during the January window.
Forrest, now back to full fitness, has enjoyed training with his new team-mates. And, after Celtic’s spectacular collapse last season, the winger is glad to be back in an optimistic frame of mind.
He said: ‘Obviously we didn’t win anything last season but it is exciting again and I think there is a freshness that comes with Ange and playing with new players from different countries. You can learn something new from having that, it doesn’t matter what age you are.
‘I think that’s the case now with the Japanese boys and someone like Jota coming in.’