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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
Sport
Matthew Fulton

Rio Ferdinand in shocked Daizen Maeda review as he hails Celtic 'man possessed' after World Cup strike

Rio Ferdinand admits Celtic have a player on their hands in Daizen Maeda and that the forward is like a 'man possessed'.

The Japanese forward took the World Cup by storm, scoring in the first half of the knockout stage clash with Croatia in only his second goal for his country. The Hoops forward took advantage at the back post just before the break to fire past Livakovic as Rangers defender Borna Barisic could only watch on inside the box.

It is the first time the Samurai Blue have opened the scoring so far in their Qatar campaign, as they look to pull off another shock at the expense of Zlatko Dalic's men which includes Maeda's Parkhead mate Josip Juranovic. And former Manchester United and England legend Ferdinand was taken aback by the Celtic forward's first-half performance, branding him a 'nuisance' to play against while giving him high praise.

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He said on BBC's coverage of the game: "He's been an absolute live wire. I think it's only his second international goal but he's looked like a man possessed up there.

"You wouldn't want to play against him, he's constantly running around and making it difficult for you, with and without the ball he is an absolute nuisance. That's the catalyst for the others in his team to come high and press high. His movement has been fantastic, some top drawer moves. What I like about him is he is always on the move, especially when he drifts behind centre-halfs."

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- Daizen Maeda and Josip Juranovic World Cup showdown as Celtic quartet reach last 16

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