REO HATATE has won player of the month for February after shining in the Celtic team in a month that they didn’t drop a single point.
After every match last month, fans left the ground talking about how good the Japanese midfielder is.
He scored a goal and got two assists in the three league matches in February, but watching the player, you know he contributed a lot more than the basic stats show.
He also scored a brace in his 25-minute appearance from the bench against St Mirren in the Scottish Cup.
Postecoglou was full of praise for Hatate, noting that he has found another level since the World Cup break, and that there are still further levels to reach.
Speaking to Celtic TV, the Aussie boss said:
“He is very determined to be the best footballer he can be. He’s not on his own, though, this whole group has those characteristics and I think that helps somebody like Reo because he’s coming to an environment that suits that mind-set.
“Sometimes you can have that mind-set but go into an environment that doesn’t allow that to nourish, but here he’s walked into an environment where he’s got like-minded people around him who also want to be the best they can be and who are very ambitious.
“The group collectively is ambitious, the coaching staff is ambitious and for guys like Reo, they can thrive within that
“And I think it’s fair to say that, since he came in last year in January, he made an impact straight away, but there’s no doubt that the first six months were going to be tough for him coming off a J-League season.
“But this year, after a good pre-season for him, he’s been really strong all year and he’s obviously found another level since the World Cup break and it’s my belief that there are another couple of levels at least and knowing Reo and his mind-set, he’ll definitely get there.”
Reo Hatate is on another level at the moment, and he doesn’t look like he is dropping off it anytime soon. It’s scary to think just how good last season’s January signing can get, it won’t be long before top clubs come calling.
