Celtic pundit Frank McAvennie believes it is a ‘boost’ that forward Daizen Maeda remained in Glasgow during the international break, as per Football Insider.
The Lowdown: Fitness concerns for Celtic
The Hoops have a crucial Glasgow derby on Sunday and may well be sweating on a number of players for the trip to Ibrox.
David Turnbull made a first appearance since December from the bench before the international break, whereas there is hope that Kyogo Furuhashi could play some part against Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side.
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Maeda remained in Scotland instead of linking up with Japan due to concerns about his fitness, while Tom Rogic pulled out of the Australia squad with an ankle problem.
The Latest: McAvennie’s comments on Maeda
Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie actually labelled Maeda staying at Lennoxtown during the international break as a ‘boost’ for Celtic.
He then described the possibility of Maeda, Furuhashi and Giorgos Giakoumakis all being fully fit at the start of 2022/23 as ‘magnificent’, saying:
“So Maeda’s not on international duty which is a boost for him.
“I think everyone expected a little bit more from him, not to say he hasn’t been really good.
“But here’s what I’m thinking, looking at Giakoumakis. It took him ages to settle in.
“Now he’s scoring a couple of goals in every game. Could the same thing happen to Maeda?
“He started a bit better, I know he scored on his debut. He’s not hit Kyogo levels.
“At the start of next season, after a full pre-season with the club, could we see him fully up to speed and scoring loads of goals?
“I think there’s a good argument to say it does happen. So we could be starting next season with Kyogo, Giakoumakis and Maeda all fit and firing, wow, that would be magnificent.”
The Verdict: Fingers crossed
With 34 goals between them already this term, the possibility of the attacking trio all being fully fit next season is an exciting prospect, as McAvennie mentions, but Celtic have bigger fish to fry before the 2022/23 campaign.
They are still on course for a domestic treble in the final stages of the current season, and having Maeda and Rogic available against Rangers on Sunday could be crucial.
Postecoglou appears to be sweating on the condition of both players, and we should know more over the coming days in the manager’s pre-match press conference.
In other news: Update emerges for Ange on Celtic ace stretchered off during international duty