Celtic midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi is set to miss the start of the Hoops' title defence after picking up an injury.
The Japanese battler arrived at Parkhead in January from his native J-League alongside Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda. While those two have been able to establish themselves in manager Ange Postecoglou's plans, Ideguchi has not due to a string of fitness concerns. He has been a regular feature in pre-season but so far has made just six competitive appearances at Celtic.
According to the Scottish Sun, the former Gamba Osaka star has picked up another injury in training. It's not known how long he will be out of action for but it's not a problem Postecoglou will welcome ahead of the title day tie versus Aberdeen on Sunday. There is fierce competition already for places in the green and white midfield, with David Turnbull one player vying for a starting XI spot.
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Having hit the net in Saturday's friendly win over Norwich City, he says he's raring to go ahead of another campaign in Glasgow: "Is the competition for places a good thing? I would say so.
“I spent a bit of time out after the Premier Sports Cup Final and that was tough. It just makes you want to work that bit hard to push to get back in the team.
"I was playing before so it’s about trying to impress every day in training. It’s just about working hard. A lot of people wrote us off last year and we proved them wrong.
“We’ve added more bodies and have players back from injury. It’s about doing more of the same and taking it up another level."
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