BBC Radio pundit Alan Hutton has given his verdict on the future of Celtic’s Yosuke Ideguchi.
Hutton said to Football Insider that the Japanese man’s time at Celtic Park ‘hasn’t worked out’. However, the decision is in his hands, either stay and fight for a spot or look for a new opportunity elsewhere.
Ideguchi signed for the club right at the end of 2021, along with Celtic stars Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate. The trio signed four-and-a-half-year contracts with the Scottish side.
The 26-year-old has been played at international level with Japan, picking up 15 caps for the Asian nation. Ideguchi’s move to Celtic wasn’t his first exposure to club football in the UK, he’d previously signed for Leeds United from 2018 until 2019, but he never played a competitive fixture.
Hutton stated, “Only the manager will really know,
“He sees him day in day out. He has not played much. He is probably not better than what is on the pitch.
“There are a lot in front in the pecking order. It is really up to him, does he want to sit there and try and fight knowing that he is rarely going to get minutes or is there an opportunity to go somewhere else and get game time.
“It is a situation that he is going to have to talk over with the club but at this moment in time it does not seem to be working out.”
TIF’s view on Hutton’s comments…
We believe that a may move Ideguchi may be best for both parties. He’s already suffered a couple of injury setbacks since making the move and has struggled for game time.
Across all competitions, the midfielder has only played for Celtic six times. Additionally, a number of the Hoops’ midfield options are ahead of Ideguchi in the pecking order including the likes of Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, Matt O’Riley and Aaron Mooy.
The Sun has reported that a number of J League clubs are monitoring the situation surrounding the 26-year-old.
If he can get past his fitness issues, Idehuchi could be a useful asset for a number of clubs. He’s a well-travelled player with experience playing in Spain, Scotland, Japan and Germany, the majority of those coming for Gamba Osaka.
It’s not been the outcome Celtic would’ve hoped for Ideguchi, but at 26 years old, he still has time to get his career back on track after a poor spell with the Hoops.