Frank McAvennie has claimed there is “something seriously wrong” with Yosuke Ideguchi at Celtic.
Ideguchi arrived at Parkhead 12 months ago alongside Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda as the trio made their January moves from the J League to Glasgow.
However, Ideguchi’s career is yet to take off at Celtic in the same vein as his other two compatriots.
In fact, fitness issues limited the 26-year-old to just 134 minutes of football in the remainder of the 2021/22 season, with a knee injury costing him valuable minutes since joining.
Things have been even worse lately for the Japanese ace, who has not played a minute all season, while only three times has he featured in a matchday squad – all as an unused sub in October.
It’s no surprise to hear of concerns around the midfielder’s future following The Sun’s previous reports that the Bhoys were looking to move him on just a year after his arrival.
And McAvennie has told Football Insider that he feels for Ideguchi, but admitted there must be ‘something wrong’ that has occurred.
He said: “It must be so hard for him, to come to a different country and a different culture.
“Luckily, he has got a few different players beside him to keep his spirits up, but it must be hard for him.
“There must be something seriously wrong there and I am just hoping he gets the chance to show the fans what he can do. He was supposed to be the best of them all.”
TIF Thoughts on McAvennie’s comments…
Ideguchi has clearly gone wrong along the way either with his fitness or perhaps struggling to settle in Glasgow amid his limited minutes, and we think it would be incredible if he wasn’t to move on next month.
The 26-year-old is already behind a plethora of midfield options, with Callum McGregor, Hatate, Matt O’Riley, Aaron Mooy and David Turnbull all standing in his way for a first-team place.
Celtic have previously been linked with a move for Tunisian midfielder Aissa Laidouni and forward Cho Gue-Sung, and the departure of Ideguchi would allow space in the finances and the squad for either target to be brought in.