Celtic could be without star forward Kyogo Furuhashi for two games following the winter break next year, The Daily Record report.

The Lowdown: Furuhashi’s fabulous start

Furuhashi was Celtic’s biggest signing of the summer, joining in a deal worth £4.86m.

He’s proven to be worth every penny so far, scoring eight times and registering one assist in his first 11 Celtic games.

The Japan international missed five games with a knee injury last month, and it appears as if the Hoops maybe without the 26-year-old again in the near future.

The Latest: Winter break woes

The Daily Record shared a story on Wednesday, looking at Furuhashi’s possible involvement for his country next year.

They claim that Ange Postecoglou could be without the forward for Celtic’s first two games back from the winter break against Hearts and Dundee United as he may be needed for his country against China and Saudi Arabia in World Cup qualifiers.

The Hoops play Hearts on January 26 and Dundee United on January 29, whereas Japan play on January 27 and February 1.

[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-15/" title="Celtic updates!!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]

The Verdict: Not ideal…

If Japan includes Furuhashi next year, Celtic may be powerless to prevent him going.

They struggled without him recently, losing to Real Betis and Livingston and failing to beat Dundee United, so his presence appears to be key at this moment in time.

Hopefully, Postecoglou, who called Furuhashi 'resilient', will be able to rely on alternative attacking options to provide the goods, should Furuhashi depart to represent his country.

In other news: Defender 'like Rio Ferdinand' now reveals he wished he'd joined Celtic.