Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou stated in a recent press conference that the ‘progress’ of new-boy Yuki Kobayashi will determine how long it takes for him to be integrated into the side.
The defender joined at the end of November from Japanese side Vissel Kobe, but will not be available to play for the Hoops until January.
At only 22 years old, he already has 84 appearances in the J1 League. The hope for Postecoglou will be that he’ll be able to grow, develop and adapt to the Scottish Premiership.
Kobayashi’s ability to play as a left-sided centre-back was what made the Australian man want to go and get him.
He said: “Good to get Yuki in, he’s one we’ve sort of been working on for a while and tracking for a while.
“I’ve already said he plays as a left-sided centre-back, which is a pretty important position within the context of the way we want to play our football; having somebody who’s left-footed there, they’re not easy to find, in general.
“He’s already got a fair bit of experience, even at the age of 22 and I just thought it was a great opportunity for us. He was out of contract and the fact that we could bring him in now, let him get settled, I think he’s one that we’d be looking at to make more of an impact as the season goes on, not somebody who we’re going to throw in straight away.
“That depends on his progress, but yeah, really pleased to have him. I think he’ll be great for us and I’m sure that he’ll see this is a great opportunity for himself.”
TIF Thoughts on Postecoglou’s comments…
Considering his age, Postecoglou will believe he has plenty of time to mould Kobayashi into the defender he wants at Celtic Park.
A potential challenge could be helping him get used to the league, as the Japanese defender has only played his football in his home nation.
This could be a potential issue as it’s not only a new league for him, but a totally new environment for such a young player. However, we have already seen a number of Japanese players settle in quickly under Postecoglou at Parkhead such as Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate.
Kobayashi has kept nine clean sheets this season. He’s efficient on the ball as well, as he has a 86% pass accuracy this term. When push comes to shove, the 22-year-old knows when to clear his lines, as he averages 2.5 clearances per game.
Celtic already have four Japanese players in their squad, so