Kevin Phillips has been reacting to comments from Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi regarding his Parkhead future, as per Football Insider.

The 26-year-old, who cost the Hoops £4.86m over the summer, has made a fine start to life in Glasgow, scoring eight goals in 11 games.

He has recently been linked with a move to Premier League side Southampton as a result, with the Saints setting their sights on the Japan international.

While away representing his country, Furuhashi has hinted in a TV interview with journalist Dan Orlowitz that he could be open to a move to England.

The Latest: Phillips reacts

Phillips, who regularly features on Sky Sports, was asked by Football Insider if Furuhashi could follow in the footsteps of Virgil van Dijk and Victor Wanyama by heading to St Mary’s from Celtic.

He suggested that it is ‘difficult’ for the Hoops, who will be ‘desperate’ to keep hold of the forward, saying:

“There is history there. A few Celtic players have made the move to Southampton.

“It is difficult for Celtic but players want to play in the Premier League. They know that. Unfortunately, when a Premier League club comes knocking it is hard for the player to turn down.

“From Celtic’s point of view, Furuhashi has done exceptionally well. I’m sure they are desperate to keep him. They will not want his head turned. It happens though. They will want him to at least see out the season.

“At this stage of the season, you don’t want one of your most influential players being coveted by a Premier League club. It is natural when you do as well as he has though. When you score goals regularly clubs come sniffing.”

[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

Celtic appear to have found a real gem in Furuhashi, so it’s not ideal for the Hoops that he is talking about a potential move to the Premier League as a result of links to Southampton, especially when he only came to Parkhead as recently as this summer.

Hopefully the rumours from Italy won’t gather pace ahead of the January window. However, if he continues to star in Glasgow, unfortunately it may only be a matter of time until Celtic receive multiple enquiries over a possible transfer for their impressive attacker.

In other news: Celtic fans could be in line for 'disaster' following Saturday's events