Ange Postecoglou has voiced his concern over Kyogo Furuhashi suffering from burnout and sustaining further injuries if Celtic are overly reliant on the striker, via The Scottish Sun.
Furuhashi has been one of the Bhoys’ stars of the season so far after moving to Parkhead in July. But Postecoglou fears his £4.5m signing may start to feel the effects of joining without a summer break. Having joined from Vissel Kobe over halfway through the J1 League term.
The 26-year-old had started 20 of Ushi’s 21 league fixtures, plus their Emperor’s Cup third-round tie before arriving in Glasgow. Where he has since featured 16 times and missed five games through a knee injury sustained on international duty, with nine-caps this year.
Postecoglou fears Furuhashi is racking up the miles too quickly and must manage the £18k-a-week star’s minutes at Celtic. With the Hoops only four-months into their campaign, and another five to come while competing over multiple competitions.
“We have to be really careful with Kyogo because he left Japan three-quarters of the way through a season,” Postecoglou explained.
“He’s come back, had international football and already had an injury. I know people want him out there all the time, and he has done fantastically well every time he’s played.
“But we have to be careful as it’s just starting November and we can’t be playing Kyogo in every game right through to April and May and expect him to perform at the top level.”
Should Postecoglou start Furuhashi against when Celtic visit Ferencvaros?
Postecoglou’s comments may suggest he is considering starting Furuhashi from the bench when Celtic visit Ferencvaros in the Europa League. The Bhoys beat the Hungarian outfit 2-0 at Parkhead last month, with the Japan striker opening the scoring.
Furuhashi has 10 goals in his account after 16 games for Celtic, plus two assists, with his efforts often praised. But Postecoglou showed his first sign of managing the attacker’s work at Livingston last Saturday.
The Australian dropped Furuhashi to the bench, and he was unable to influence the scoring as a 58th-minute substitute. Celtic lose a great deal of attacking movement without the 10-cap international, but Postecoglou will likely prefer brief issues than long-term problems.
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