Reo Hatate was absent from Celtic’s matchday squad on Sunday. No explanation was offered. No clarification was sought. The silence left supporters to fill in the gaps.
Hatate has been ever-present for the team this season, fit, available, and regularly selected. That is why his total omission raised eyebrows as soon as the team sheets dropped.
He was not on the bench. He was not listed as injured. He was simply absent.
What made it even more striking was what did not follow. No one inside Celtic Park asked the obvious question, not in the immediate post-match media duties, and not in the wider press conference. Celtic’s manager was not pressed on Hatate’s absence, and he did not volunteer any detail unless there are embargoed quotes yet to come out.
That leaves speculation.
Perhaps he was given a full rest rather than the usual managed minutes. Celtic’s schedule has been relentless, and Hatate has carried a heavy load across domestic and European games. A complete rest would be unusual, but not impossible.
The alternative is more concerning. Is there an undisclosed injury? At times this season the club have been vague about timelines, and supporters have seen players disappear from squads before issues surface.
Hatate starts regularly and is, when fit, close to an automatic pick. The exclusion did not align with any clear tactical shift either, given the balance of the midfield that started.
Celtic now face Livingston on the 27th. Whether Hatate returns for that game may offer definitive evidence one way or the other. A reappearance would point to rest and rotation. Another absence would sharpen the questions.
The Bhoys grabbed their first victory under Nancy on Sunday. They will now be hoping to kick on, but with Livingston and Motherwell up next away from home, it will test his system and these players.
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