Reo Hatate scooped the cinch Player of the Month award for February and proclaimed that he is enjoying life under Ange Postecoglou at Celtic Park currently. The little Japanese midfielder has been in red-hot form of late and has been instrumental in helping the team rack up wins both home and away in the Scottish Premiership and both domestic cups.
In what has been a whirlwind for Reo since arriving on these shores from Asia and the J-League with Kawasaki Frontale, the midfield maestro has went from strength to strength in a Celtic jersey. Since that howitzer against Hearts at Tyncastle on his debut, he hasn’t looked back and has kept a firm grip over the midfield area too.
His game is developing all of the time and you can see he has been working on his involvement in the final third, where he has chipped in with his fair share of goals recently. Speaking to Celtic TV yesterday about his latest achievement and how it made him feel, he said: “Every time I play I do my best and it’s an honour to have this award.
“In every training and practice I do my best and I really enjoy the moments with my team-mates. Football is a sport with 11 players so it’s not only my effort but a huge thanks to my team-mates. I really enjoy working under the manager and he gives me a new challenge every game which brings me to a new higher level. There are good and bad moments but if I can improve on the bad things then I can bring myself to another level, so I will work hard and try my best.
“I think I’m doing pretty well and I’m a player that can make a difference in the final third. That’s the key for the team as well so I want a good number in terms of goals and assists.”
The League Cup Final victory over theRangers at Hampden Park last Sunday has given everyone at the club a boost and was cause for celebration in recognition of the hard work that all the staff and players have put in so far this campaign. Yet, Reo still reckons that it is only an entitled celebration for a short period of time, as eyes have now turned to St Mirren away in Paisley come Sunday afternoon in cinch Premiership action. He added:
“It’s pretty obvious that the final gives me confidence, but my focus is just on Sunday’s game right now. It was a happy moment and I celebrated with my family and friends until the next day. Right after that, the training started and it was easy for me to turn up again and switch on and the only focus now is Sunday. We lost against St Mirren this season at their home and we can’t repeat that again, so we will do our best and try and get the result we want.”
Paul Gillespie
