Pundit Alan Hutton believes Celtic are relying too heavily on summer signing Kyogo Furuhashi, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Celtic’s struggles without Furuhashi

Furuhashi returned from international duty with Japan last month with a knee injury which kept him out of five games.

The Hoops’ only wins without him came at home against Ross County and Raith Rovers, with Ange Postecoglou’s side losing away to Real Betis and Livingston while failing to defeat Dundee United at Parkhead.

Furuhashi has since returned from injury and helped Celtic pick up their first domestic away win in seven months by scoring in a 2-1 win over Aberdeen.

The Latest: Hutton’s comments

Hutton, who regularly features on BBC Radio 5 Live, was asked by Football Insider if the Hoops had relied too much on Furuhashi.

Here’s what the Scot had to say, labelling the forward’s impact as ‘massive’, believing Celtic could struggle again if Furuhashi is absent again.

“Yeah, I think so.

“I think we’ve seen when he’s out injured there’s that thing of: ‘Right, what do we do now? What plan are we going for?’

“Ajeti and people like that have come in. They have scored goals but have not been that figure where you think: ‘Right, you’re going to turn this game on its head.’

“Obviously, Kyogo coming back in has made a massive difference for them.

“I think with Kyogo, whenever he’s on the pitch, you think something could happen. He’s got that little bit of magic, he could a game in an instant.

“His finish was outstanding. To chest it into the goal, back post, unbelievable. That’s what he’s capable of.

“That’s probably the one problem I see right at this moment at time. If he was to get injured or miss games over any period of time, I think Celtic might struggle without him.”

The Verdict: Everything crossed ahead of Japan return

There’s no denying Furuhashi has been key for Celtic this season, contributing to nine goals in 11 appearances.

Results took a hit without him, so the Hoops will be hoping he returns from the current international break injury-free.

Japan made a late U-turn in regards to calling the forward up after he returned at club level, so the last thing Celtic will want is for him to come back with another knock, with Hutton feeling the Hoops could then struggle.

In other news: Coach with 17-honours may be open to replacing Postecoglou; he's a Celtic fan.