Postecoglou delighted his stars are now big in Japan

ANGE Postecoglou insists he always expected Kyogo Furuhashi to prove Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu wrong over the standard of Scottish football.

Moriyasu caused a stir when he left Celtic’s top scorer and midfield countryman Reo Hatate out of his World Cup squad. He followed the move by questioning the standard of the Scottish league by way of an explanation.

Kyogo overcame the snub and used it as motivation to score 33 goals and lift this season’s major player of the year honours.

Competition came from countryman Hatate, with both players central to Celtic’s push for a clean sweep of domestic trophies.

Moriyasu sent two representatives to watch the pair in the recent Scottish Cup semi-final win over Rangers. And both Furuhashi and Hatate have now been named in Japan’s 26-man squad for the forthcoming friendlies against El Salvador and Peru.

‘Maybe Scottish football has improved in the last six months…’ said Postecoglou, in a veiled reference to Moriyasu’s past comments. ‘I’m pleased for the both of them. I had no doubt they’d get another opportunity.

‘They have been outstanding for us and it’s fully deserved. ‘I know they were both disappointed, particularly with the World Cup, but also with subsequent selections.

‘They’ll get a buzz at being in there. It’s always great to go to the national team on the back of a season where you’ve won a few medals, as part of a team as well as individually. It’s great reward for them.’

While club-mate Daizen Maeda was a key man for Japan in Qatar, the omission of his team-mates (pictured) caused widespread puzzlement.

With Postecoglou expecting Celtic to be ‘tested’ by bids for key players in the summer window, midfielder Hatate has been linked with a move to English Premier League Brighton after another strong season.

‘Reo thinks a great deal about himself, his football development, his career, everything,’ Postecoglou said. ‘Everything he does is very measured.

‘You watch him in training. He’s not the kind of guy turning up to have fun. He’s very serious about everything in his life.

‘He’s not the only one. There’s a few in there. I think modern footballers almost have to be that way.

‘There are so many things that can take you off the rails. You have to think about every aspect of your life.’

Bookmakers’ favourite to land the Tottenham Hotspur job, Postecoglou insists he is focused on the cup final against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Hampden.

Celtic have already set down plans for a third season under the Australian by lining up a pre-season trip to Japan and South Korea. Beyond that, Postecoglou is already making plans to replace any key players lost this summer.

‘I was trying to be predictive with the January window,’ he admits.

‘We kind of knew Juranovic and Giakoumakis would go. We were losing two very good players who had contributed greatly to our success.

‘But was that an opportunity to bring in a couple of younger players who might have a higher ceiling?

‘You don’t know, but the opportunity was there. We thought Oh (Hyeon-gyu) and Alistair (Johnston) both already looked like good players. They are younger than the guys who left, so, potentially, could have a higher ceiling if we got it right.

‘This is probably the first window where we’ll really get tested on some of our key players by other clubs. Our planning is in place so, if that happens, it’s like the Jenga puzzle — before it all collapses, we’ll hopefully already have a piece in place to ensure you can take one out and still build strong.’

Celtic hope the challenge of Champions League football will persuade Postecoglou to stay put for one more season after an underwhelming experience in Europe this term.

‘I’ve said in the past this club needs to play Champions League football on a consistent basis, and being in the position where — if all the stars align — they can make an impact at that level,’ added the manager.

‘That’s not going to happen every year. It might be every three or four. ‘Every time a player leaves, you have to try and get a player who is hopefully a better version so you can constantly chip away.

‘Hopefully, by being in the Champions League every year, revenues would increase which gives you an opportunity to then look at a different quality of player.

‘The growth comes by being consistently in there.’