Rodgers on Hatate as Japanese midfielder joined by Abada and Kyogo in transfer talk

Brendan Rodgers has spoken about Reo Hatate’s surprise omission from the Celtic starting eleven last Saturday for the season opener against Ross County at Celtic Park. Hatate was a regular under Ange Postecoglou and was one of the top contenders for Player of the Year last season alongside fellow countryman Kyogo and the American defender Cameron Carter-Vickers.

But after an indifferent pre-season, the Japan international midfielder has found himself behind David Turnbull and Matt O’Riley for the two vacant midfield positions alongside the Celtic captain Callum McGregor.

Ange Postecoglou used to say that he would pick his Celtic side based on the eleven he thought gave him the best chance to win the game and players who weren’t selected had to work hard in training the next week to try to secure a place.

That’s similar to the way Brendan Rodgers works although there’s more opportunity for the players to have a dialogue with the new Celtic manager to discuss the situation and what they need to do to get themselves in his team.

“It’s not in my contract to play any player,” Rodgers said referring to Reo Hatate, as reported by Scottish Sun. “He’s got three years left on his contract, so there’s no rush on that. It’s a new cycle, a new manager, and Reo has to prove himself.

“I’m not really worried about what’s said or not. I’ll play the team I see with the best energy, mentality and efficiency with how we want to work.

“There’s no doubt Reo is a talented player, but there are other talented players here. If players aren’t playing, I’ve been open and honest with them about where we’re at, how I prepare a team, and when they are not playing how they have to respond.

“Reo’s been really good in training. He didn’t play, but he came into the game. He knows areas he needs to work on to play for me, and the structure of how I work.”

Hatate broke into the national team in June, after bing overlooked for the World Cup last winter. He made an immediate impact at national level and will be looking for a regular start at Celtic as he looks to develop as far as he can in the game.

Unlike his international teammates Kyogo and Daizen Maeda, Hatate has NOT signed a new long-term contract at Celtic this summer. But with three years remaining on his current deal Celtic are in no rush to cash in on the midfielder, who clearly eyes a move to one of the bigger leagues in Europe, probably the English Premier League.

There are whispers linking him to a move to Brighton in this window, but there’s plenty of similar stories doing the rounds – unnamed French and German clubs according to Sky Sports today are set to bid for Liel Abada and with Harry Kane seemingly about to sign for Bayern Munich for just over £100m there’s renewed speculation that Ange Postecoglou will return to Celtic looking to sign Player of the Year Kyogo.

Sky Sports report continuing interest in Celtic’s Israeli winger Liel Abada, with two bids expected imminently from clubs in France and Germany. The report claims that two European clubs are set to make offers for Abada, the first one an unnamed club from France and one from the German Bundesliga. Both apparently want to sign the Celtic winger.

They claim that ‘Celtic are weighing up their options’ on this, yet no bids have been received! They also state that both Ajax and Sporting Lisbon are still keeping tabs on the player. And with Harry Kane leaving Tottenham, the inevitable Ange Postecoglou coming in for Kyogo as a replacement, although there’s nothing to substantiate this rumour either.

Add the stories linking Reo Hatate to Brighton and that’s some amount of Celtic talent at risk if these stories are to be believed.