Japan boss Hajime Moriyasu is set to add another Celtic star to his national team roster - and then put his sights on WINNING the World Cup.
The Land of the Rising Sun only took one Premiership champion with them to Qatar's showpiece tournament - Daizen Maeda - last year despite the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate being at his disposal. The national side performed impressively, reaching the last 16 after a memorable win over Spain, but Croatia proved a bridge too far.
Now Moriyasu has locked on to the American, Canadian and Mexican-hosted tournament in just over three years' time. He has eyes on winning the full thing but first will come a friendlies next month versus Uruguay and Colombia, where 23 players will be called upon. The player in not named in the Sponichi report, but a 'Celtic standard bearer' will be part of the team that takes to the field. Furuhashi and Hatate have played for Japan while in Glasgow while Yuki Kobayashi and Tomoki Iwata are also eligible alongside previous inclusion Maeda. It’s likely Hatate is the one who Moriyasu has talked up as an expected call-up.
Moriyasu said: "I have always had the goal of becoming the best in the world, but I will fight with the aim of becoming the World Cup champion. I was aiming for the best eight or better, but I regretted that I didn't present a higher one."
In relation to the unnamed Celtic star, he added: "He has a strong presence in the team, I can feel his growth. He is a player worthy of being seen as a candidate for the national team. We will continue to pursue him. I hope that we will not forget to improve from where we are now."
