Japan icon Marcus Tanaka has now backed Celtic star Kyogo Furuhashi to be central to the Samurai Blue going forward. He believes the striker is enjoying an unprecedented season.
Hajime Moriyasu snubbed the Hoops star for the recent World Cup campaign where Japan reached the Round of 16. The East Asian nation stunned two former champions, Spain and Germany, to top Group E. But they would lose 3-1 on penalties to Croatia after a 1-1 draw.
SC Freiburg forward Ritsu Doan was Japan’s top scorer in Qatar with two goals in four ties. Takuma Asano of VfL Bochum, Ao Tanaka of Fortuna Dusseldorf and Celtic forward Daizen Maeda also scored once. Furuhashi did not feature among Moriyasu’s 26-man Japan team.
Moriyasu has been in charge of the Samurai Blue since August 2018 and has a contract to 2026. The 54-year-old’s deal with the Japan Football Association (JFA) lapses following the next World Cup. The USA, Mexico and Canada will co-host the 23rd edition of FIFA’s event.
Tanaka tips Furuhashi to lead the Japan line after Moriyasu snubbed the Celtic star
Tanaka believes Moriyasu should now look to build the Japan side around Furuhashi given the form he is providing Celtic. The 28-year-old has scored 22 goals and laid on four assists in 32 games so far this term. His haul also includes 19 goals in just 23 Premiership games.
“Furuhashi is a player I want to see playing for Japan moving forward,” Tanaka has said, via quotes by the Daily Record. “He is an explosive striker and a very good player – I want him to play. We know he wasn’t taken to Qatar but he is doing extremely well in Scotland.
“I can’t remember any Japanese player in Europe scoring as many goals as he has by this stage of a season ever. For me, the team should be built around Furuhashi with Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma and Takefusa Kubo of Real Sociedad heavily involved, too.”
Moriyasu gave Furuhashi his Japan debut in November 2019 but has only offered the Celtic star 16 caps to date. Just four of those caps came during 2022 despite establishing himself in 2021. Furuhashi featured in all but one of the Samurai Blues’ 12 matches through 2021.
Ange Postecoglou also signed Furuhashi off Vissel Kobe for £4.5m in July 2021. The Ikoma, Nara native has since offered Celtic 42 goals and nine assists in 65 games. Daichi Kamada is the top-scoring Japanese player in Europe’s top-five leagues so this season far on seven.
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