Former Scotland defender Alan Hutton has revealed his concern over the return of Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi ahead of the final Old Firm clash in the 2021/22 season. 

The lowdown: In the Hoops' hands

Ange Postecoglou's side could take a giant step towards the Scottish Premiership title with a victory over Rangers at Celtic Park and would realistically all but be crowned champions with a superior goal difference, nine-point lead and three games remaining.

The four meetings between the Glasgow giants have been evenly matched this term and currently - both clubs boast two victories apiece from their league and Scottish Cup meetings.

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As the final showdown of the season looms large, one returning Hoops star has been tipped to have a major impact on the outcome...

The latest: Hutton 'worried'

Speaking to Football Insider, Rangers TV and BBC pundit Hutton has suggested that fit-again Kyogo could hold the key after what he's seen from Parkhead.

“His movement’s incredible. I was worried when he came on the pitch at Hampden thinking he could create something.

“It didn’t quite work out but against Ross County, if you put the balls into areas, he makes clever runs. The ball from Jota for him to score between two big defenders shows you what he’s all about.

“He just plays with a smile on his face. He always looks happy and wants to give his all. For him to be out that long, to come back and turn it on that quickly just shows you the type of character he is.”

The verdict: Big miss

Despite the continued surge towards the Scottish top-flight crown, there can be no doubt that the 30-game absence of the 27-year-old this season has hampered the Bhoys' campaign.

Having made a lightning-fast start to life in Scotland, Kyogo raced to 21 direct goal contributions in just 28 appearances before being sidelined through knee and hamstring issues.

Whilst all credit should go to Postecoglou's philosophy and indeed the January recruitment for mitigating the impact of the Japanese international's injury, welcoming back the versatile attacker hailed as 'magic' by the Greek-Australian boss is a huge positive for the upcoming Old Firm encounter.

In other news, Frank McAvennie is in awe of one Celtic player’s development. Find out who it is here.