“I want to improve my reputation,” Reo Hatate to “carry the water” for Japan

Reo Hatate posted this update after training with the Japan squad ahead of their Asian Cup opener in Qatar against Thailand on Sunday…

The Celtic midfielder pulled up with a hamstring injury in the opening minutes of Celtic’s Champions League match against Atletico Madrid at Celtic Park on 25 October and was missing from Brendan Rodgers’ side until coming off the bench in the closing stages of the 3-0 win at St Mirren on 3 January 2024.

However Hatate was still included in Hajime Moriyasu’s Japan squad for the Asian Cup alongside his Celtic teammate Daizen Maeda, while strangely enough Kyogo was overlooked.

“The weather is very good for football, so I think we can prepare very well as a team,” Hatate noted. “Individually, I’ve had a bit of a long injury, so I want to prepare well while improving my condition as much as I can.

Celtic’s midfielder Reo Hatate during a friendly football match between Japan’s Gamba Osaka and Celtic at Suita City Stadium in the city of Suita, Osaka prefecture on July 22, 2023. (Photo by PAUL MILLER/AFP via Getty Images)

“The atmosphere in the team is getting better, and I think there will be a lot of tension in the lead-up to the game, but I want to enjoy the parts I enjoy.

“I want to contribute as much as I can with my play towards the championship we are aiming for. I want to play in games, so I want to improve my reputation while playing my own way.

“As a personal challenge, I want to achieve numerical results. I think my style of play requires me to “carry the water”, so I want to play between the DF line and the players in front of me in that area, and achieve results,” Reo stated.

Reo Hatate talked about how motivated he is after today's training🗣️

💬"We are here to be the champion in Asian Cup, so I'll demonstrate my strengths as much as possible to win."@CelticFC @jfa_samuraiblue pic.twitter.com/XTHDPgjgrG

— Yatao (@yataoda4) January 8, 2024

🏆
🍀🇯🇵Hatate’s post-practice comments https://t.co/LmcyDd7xcS pic.twitter.com/QoBnAYI56y

— 🍀🇯🇵Nar📽️Japanese Bhoy Studios🎨 (@CelticStudio_JP) January 9, 2024

🔹𝗦𝗔𝗠𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗜 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘🔹
【2024.1.8 練習後コメント✍️】

17 MF/FW #旗手怜央

🏆AFC アジアカップカタール 2023
⚔️グループステージ第1節
🗓1.14(日) ⌚️20:30(🇯🇵)
🆚ベトナム代表🇻🇳
🏟️Al Thumama Stadium(カタール)
📺#DAZN
🔗https://t.co/Tlg2677is8 #頂点そしてその先へ #夢への勇気を… pic.twitter.com/wSdeR6BS5Y

— サッカー日本代表 🇯🇵 (@jfa_samuraiblue) January 9, 2024