Paddy McCourt speaking about playing alongside Shunsuke Nakamura and giving his thoughts on our new King of Japan Kyogo Furuhashi is simply unmissable. McCourt joined Celtic in time to see just how brilliant a player Nakamura was, playing alongside the Japanese superstar during his final season wearing the Hoops. And while he’s full of admiration for his old teammate, the Derry Pele reckons that Kyogo might be even better!
“Shunsuke was a special player. I arrived in 2008, which was to be his final season,” Paddy McCourt told Mark Guidi at The Sunday Post. “He had established himself as a top player, and I knew about him from afar. But when I got up close every day in training, I could see his talent was frightening,” McCourt said.
Yet it wasn’t just footballing ability that made Naka shine. He had, McCourt noted, an incredible work-rate. “He worked hard every day in training, and then took that ethic on to the park with him on a match-day. Sometimes it looked as though he was hardly moving around. But then you would see the stats on a Monday morning for distance covered and number of sprints – and he was always ranked No. 1. Without fail, Naka covered a minimum of 12k per game. More often than not, it was 13k.
“He had terrific ability too, of course, and it was great to learn from him. His left foot was phenomenal. He had a knack of being able to find himself 10 yards of space at all times. That was all down to his awareness and intelligence. It wasn’t by accident,” the former Celtic winger added.
And as he turned his attention from Naka to Kyogo, McCourt pays Furuhashi a huge compliment by predicting that he will be an even bigger hero at Celtic than Nakamura! “Off the park, Naka was quiet and unassuming. But he joined in with the boys when required. He could speak English and talked away fine. He became a Celtic hero, and it looks as though Kyogo Furuhashi has the ability to make a similar impact – if not an even greater one.
“I watched him closely in the first leg of the Europa League tie against Jablonec, almost as if I was preparing a scouting report. I was really impressed. The variation in his game is frightening.”
McCourt has been watching Kyogo’s performances closely and is mightily impressed with what he’s seen so far.“He can come short and take the ball into feet. He can stretch defences and work them hard. They never know what’s coming next from him. Kyogo can also go long. It’s very rare for a striker to be able to do all those things so effectively. His awareness and movement are also really good,” Paddy added.
And how is this for an assessment of a new signing? “It’s obvious the club has signed a breathtaking talent. I don’t think I’ve been as excited about a Celtic player, as I am about him, in a long, long time. The club bought him for around £4m. I’d say he’ll be worth in the region of £25-30m mark in less than two years. He’s at a good age, and his name is going to spread around Europe quite quickly.
“Credit to Ange Postecoglou. He clearly knew about the player from his own time managing in Japan, and told the club to go and get him. It shows the manager has an eye for talent, and also quickly identified exactly what was needed after working with the squad for a week or so.
“The board has backed him well so far in the transfer market, and need to continue to do so. It already looks as though things are really shaping up for an exciting title race, and there is no doubt that Celtic can win the league back again. That has to be the aim, for sure.”
