Yosuke Ideguchi ended a 280-day football hiatus as the Celtic flop finally got back playing at his new club in Japan - and admitted his delight at being on the park again.
The Japanese midfielder was shipped off on loan last week back to his homeland to sign a year-long loan with Avispa Fukuoka, and he made his debut for the club against Vissel Kobe in the J League opener this weekend. He came on as a sub for the last 12 minutes and had two shots on target, but could not prevent his new team from falling to a 1-0 defeat.
It was the first time he had appeared in a competitive match since coming on as a second half sub last May in Celtic's 6-0 romp against Motherwell, over nine months ago. Ideguchi made just one solitary start for the Hoops - a Scottish Cup tie against Alloa last January - and made three substitute appearances in the Premiership.
And he was pleased that he got action on the pitch. He said: "It was enjoyable to be a part of it again and great to get some minutes, even if it wasn't for a long time. I feel fit, I am free of injury and it's about trying to contribute as much as possible now at Avispa Fukuoka. I am obviously short of match fitness, but that will come with games."
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