Celtic legend Kenny Dalglish has heaped praise on star forward Kyogo Furuhashi, asserting that the Japanese striker has reached new heights in his third season with the club, surpassing his impressive performances in the previous treble-winning campaign.
Dalglish also highlighted the burgeoning partnership between Kyogo and midfielder Matt O’Riley, suggesting that Celtic has something special in the making.
Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates Matt O’Riley and Daizen Maeda REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
Kyogo, who joined the Hoops last season, has shown remarkable form this year, amassing seven goals in just 13 games, bringing his total for Celtic to 61 goals in 96 matches. While he may face a substantial challenge to surpass his 34-goal tally from the previous season, Dalglish believes it’s an achievable goal given the striker’s quality and work ethic.
“You can see that Kyogo Furuhashi is better now than this time last year. He is far more accomplished. His link-up play for the opening goal, and the finish itself, was sublime,” he said, quoted by Football Scotland.
Dalglish’s admiration wasn’t limited to Kyogo, as he also praised Matt O’Riley, who has been a standout performer for Celtic this season. O’Riley’s astute one-touch pass that set up Kyogo’s goal against Atletico Madrid drew acclaim from Dalglish, who lauded it as one of the season’s best assists.
“Matt O’Riley played his part and his one-touch pass to put the Japanese striker through was as good a ball as you’ll see this season. I believe he cost in the region of £1.5 million from MK Dons, which is an absolute steal. He has matured and his game has improved.
