Reo Hatate’s frustration with the Japanese national team continues, as the Celtic midfielder was an unused substitute in Japan’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah.
Despite making the matchday squad, Hatate remained on the sidelines while his Celtic teammate Daizen Maeda came off the bench in the 63rd minute.
🔹𝗦𝗔𝗠𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗜 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘🔹
📝LINE-UP📝1 #鈴木彩艶(GK)
3 #谷口彰悟
4 #板倉滉
5 #守田英正
6 #遠藤航(C)
7 #三笘薫
8 #南野拓実
9 #上田綺世
10 #堂安律
15 #鎌田大地
16 #町田浩樹𝐒𝐔𝐁🔄
12 #大迫敬介(GK)
23 #谷晃生(GK)
2 #菅原由勢
11 #前田大然
13 #中村敬斗
14 #伊東純也
17 #田中碧… pic.twitter.com/mTaMd0w6Qi— サッカー日本代表 🇯🇵 (@jfa_samuraiblue) October 10, 2024
Hatate’s omission from the starting lineup marks another missed opportunity for the midfielder, who had been edging closer to establishing himself in Japan’s squad before injuries disrupted his progress last season. Since then, he has struggled to regain his place and earn valuable minutes on the pitch for his country.
For Celtic, Hatate remains an important figure, but his ongoing absence from Japan’s lineup will be a source of disappointment as he works to reclaim his form and standing within the national team setup.
He missed out on the starting line-up in Dortmund; however, he came on from the bench.
Hatate is a player that contributes a lot to the Celtic team, but sometimes isn’t realised until he’s sitting on the bench.
Japan play Australia next. Reo Hatate will be hoping that he can at least get some minutes in this match, otherwise it could be seen as another wasted trip for the player.