Hajime Moriyasu Addresses Reo Hatate Injury

Reo Hatate suffered an injury setback during Japan’s Asian Cup last-16 victory over Bahrain.

Hatate, who just made a comeback from a calf injury that kept him out for most of

the season, was forced to leave the field after just 36 minutes due to what appeared to be calf pain once more.

It was almost a mirror image of Celtic’s home match against Atletico Madrid.

Celtic should be especially concerned about this injury because Hatate had just recently fully recovered. His early exit from the game begs the issue of whether he will be available for the remaining games in the second half of the season.

In his post-match remarks, Japan’s coach Hajime Moriyasu addressed the issue, stating, “I want to hear the doctor’s diagnosis.” Nevertheless, when an injury occurs, it affects the players as well as the squad, but we still need to win the game and keep the flow going. I believe that today’s game increased my self-assurance. [SunSport]

With a 3-1 victory, Japan advanced to the quarterfinals without any additional help from Hatate or Daizen Maeda, another Celtic player who was benched the whole match.

With Hatate’s injury evaluation and recuperation now in the spotlight, Celtic

and its supporters are anxiously awaiting any updates on his status. It is

hoped that the wound is not serious. setback and that Hatate can soon play

again for Celtic, carrying on with his team’s efforts.