Kyogo Furuhashi keen to shrug off Celtic fitness concerns - 'I want to have a presence'

Kyogo Furuhashi was part of the Celtic squad that lost 6-4 to Yokohama F Marinos.

Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi hopes to brush off fitness issues and enjoy a homecoming appearance against Gamba Osaka on Saturday.

Scotland’s player of the year was restricted to a substitute appearance in Wednesday’s 6-4 defeat to Yokohama F Marinos after being troubled by a shoulder injury. Quoted on Celtic’s official website, Furuhashi said: “Gamba Osaka is a very great team with so many good players and they have played well in the last few games in the league. We both have the same attacking football philosophy, so I hope it will be a great game and we can entertain the fans who are coming to watch.

‘Personally, I want to have a presence in the game if I have a chance to play. I went to high school in Osaka and played against Gamba Osaka many times when I was with Vissel Kobe. So I want to enjoy this opportunity and have a good game against them. Obviously we want to win because it is a game, but at the same time we want to play great football and we want to entertain our fans.”

Furuhashi, who recently signed a new four-year deal, added: “There are lots of people here who believe in me and love me and need me. I was very happy when I was offered a contract extension and I want to continue to repay the favour with results.”

This will be Celtic’s final match in Asia, after the Korean leg of their tour was cancelled at short notice, and manager Brendan Rodgers believes the Osaka match will be important for his team’s fitness.

“I want to say we are very happy to be here to play the second game of our Japanese tour,” Rodgers said. “The first game was a very good exercise and we gained a lot from it. We expect a lot from the game tomorrow playing against a very good team that is very well coached and are technically very good.

“It will be another important exercise for our fitness towards the beginning of the season. We look forward to playing in the stadium which is very nice and we look forward to the game.”