Reo Hatate came to the fore last weekend for Celtic, scoring a skilful goal in a deserved 3-1 win over Kilmarnock. It was a standout performance from the Japan internationalist who is like a fresh addition to Brendan Rodgers’ squad, according to Chris Sutton.
The former treble-winning striker spoke about Hatate in his recent RecordSport column and his resurgence in form. He said: “Reo Hatate’s performance was also noteworthy. I’d been saying for weeks that Rodgers had to get the Japanese up and running because he is so important. Hatate was my Player of the Year last season and the fact he wasn’t properly contributing must have been a source of frustration.”
Any frustrations Brendan Rodgers had over Hatate will have been banished now with his Killie display. The Irish gaffer sat down with the 25-year-old after the Lazio match and pinpointed the areas he needed to improve in.
Hatate most certainly took the advice on board. Sutton said: “Suddenly, he gets back to near his best against Killie and the whole thing starts to fire. It stands to reason and he’s like a new signing.”
At least for Rodgers, Hatate will feel like a fresh addition to the team down to the fact he hadn’t hit top gear until before last weekend’s match. He will aim to kick on from here and become a key contributor as the season transpires.
