Journalist Mark Guidi believes Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi could return at the beginning of April.
The Lowdown: Furuhashi’s absence
The 27-year-old was enjoying an unbelievable first season at Parkhead, contributing to 21 goals in just 27 appearances in green and white. However, he hasn’t been seen since the end of December due to a hamstring problem.
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Ange Postecoglou’s side have managed to cope without their big summer signing, though, and are currently three points clear of Rangers at the top of the Premiership.
The Hoops travel to Ibrox at the beginning of April, and Guidi believes Furuhashi could make a long-awaited return for the Glasgow Derby.
The Latest: Guidi’s comments
Speaking live on Go Radio, relayed by Vital Celtic, Guidi had this to say when asked if he has heard any news from Celtic Park regarding Christopher Jullien or Furuhashi.
“To be honest, on Jullien? Not at the moment.
“On Kyogo. Well, there’s one or two murmurs that he’ll be available for the first game after the international break, which is Ibrox on April 3rd.
“Now we could see Kyogo coming on for the League Cup Final against Hibs, the impact he made with not a lot of training time behind him.
“So if it was to be the case, if that’s accurate, and he’s available for the game at the Ibrox, I wouldn’t imagine that he would start unless there’s an injury problem to Maeda or Giakoumakis or whatever.
“But certainly having somebody like Kyogo on the bench, what a lift that would give to Celtic, to the manager to the players to the supporters, albeit there won’t be Celtic supporters in the ground that day.
“And if he’s required for whatever reason, the circumstances, he is required to come on and give 25 minutes to half an hour, he would have that in his locker all day to go and do that.”
The Verdict: Huge
Postecoglou has had to rely on Giorgos Giakoumakis and January signing Daizen Maeda with Furuhashi out, but having the latter back would be a huge boost going into the final games of the campaign.
He has shown he can step up when needed following his heroics in the League Cup final, and hopefully, the Hoops will still be clear at the top of the Premiership when they travel to Ibrox.
Having Furuhashi back for the trip across Glasgow could prove crucial, not only for the derby, but for the title run-in itself, so it will be interesting what Postecoglou has to say when it comes to a return date for the star forward.
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