Alan Hutton has suggested Reo Hatate's best chance of escaping his Celtic limbo is to win over Martin O’Neill's favour.
The Japanese midfielder, once a key player at Parkhead, has slipped down the ranks. O’Neill confirmed there have been enquiries but nothing "definitive."
He would be happy for Hatate to stay and fight for his place. Reflecting on this, Hutton said, "Reo Hatate’s situation is a strange one.
"Will he leave this summer? I genuinely don’t know what’s happened there. He’s gone right off the boil."
The former Scotland defender believes Hatate was exceptional under Brendan Rodgers, constantly in midfield for Celtic, scoring goals and displaying an impressive range of passing.
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However, he seems to have fallen out of favour. Hutton speculated that an opportunity to move elsewhere might have been blocked, leading to Hatate losing form and becoming a benchwarmer or squad absentee.
O’Neill has publicly challenged Hatate to rediscover the level that made him one of Scotland’s leading midfielders two seasons ago. Hutton added: "It’s not easy to demand a move anymore from a position like that. He’s been on the bench.
"I think what he needs to do is knuckle down and get back into this Celtic team because at the moment it’s all very quiet around him.
"There’s no speculation doing the rounds."
O’Neill has left the door open, saying Hatate remains "a fine footballer" despite dropping down the pecking order.
Alan Hutton was speaking with BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest football odds.
