Celtic claimed bragging rights tonight as they embarrassed bitter rivals Rangers 3-0 at Parkhead – and John McGinn was blown away by Reo Hatate.
The Bhoys knew a big win over Rangers would send them top of the Scottish Premiership, but few could have expected such a demolition.
Hatate opened the scoring, composing himself on the edge of the box before firing a volley into the bottom corner of the net.
Hatate then made it two, bending a sumptuous long-range strike past Allan McGregor following great team play in the build-up.
Liel Abada found the net too, rounding off a blistering first-half as Celtic took a 3-0 lead – and Rangers had no response.
Hatate has quickly made himself a Celtic hero, turning in fine displays and showing a penchant for long-range bangers.
Given the tag of a ‘utility player’ after arriving from Kawasaki Frontale last month, Hatate has shown he is a very tactically-gifted midfield player with a real eye for goal.
After Kyogo Furuhashi made a huge impact following his arrival, Hatate is now following in the footsteps of his compatriot.
Hatate was the star of the show as Celtic went to the top of the table, with Rangers having no answer for his outstanding midfield performance.
Hatate was so good that he earned praise from Aston Villa and Scotland midfielder John McGinn, who watched on in awe.
McGinn took to Twitter to share his verdict on Hatate’s display, simply branding him ‘outrageous’ after his first-half showing.
McGinn even added a magic wand emoji, sharing the belief of many Celtic fans that Hatate is an absolute wizard in the middle of the park.
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