HAYATO INAMURA: CELTIC DON’T NEED ANOTHER LEFT BACK, WE HAVE FOUND OUR TIERNEY DEPUTY
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Aug 2
- 2 min read
Following Brendan Rodgers’ none too subtle nudging of the Celtic moneymen at Thursday’s press conference, I would hope and expect a few new arrivals over the next week or two.
However, I don’t think we’ll be signing another left back. In Hayato Inamura, Celtic, I think, already have the back-up we need.
Impressive Pre-Season Should be Enough to Secure Hayato Inamura a Celtic Squad Berth
Manager Brendan Rodgers hasn’t, at the time of writing anyway, confirmed what he plans to do with Inamura in the season ahead. Truth be told, we probably won’t have any indication either way until we see the team sheet for the St Mirren game tomorrow.
As someone who has been saying since he was initially linked with the club that Inamura was good enough to be part of Celtic’s current first team squad, I hope the manager has also seen the same traits that I have in the player since he made his debut for us.
Fan sentiment has also, in the main, been very positive in the limited appearances we’ve seen from the player so far.
The reality is it’s still far too early to tell if Hayato Inamura will be good enough for Celtic in the long term. However, I believe he’s shown enough in this pre-season, to at least earn a shot at being part of our squad going into the new season.
He’s still young, and his talent is raw, but the basic tools are there. Brendan Rodgers is a manager who has built his entire career out of taking such raw materials and, through coaching and guidance, fashioning them into top class players.
I think, from Rodgers’ own point of view, he’ll relish the challenging of trying to fully tap into Inamura’s huge potential. The best way he can do that is to continue to work with the player and monitor him directly every day. A loan move won’t accomplish this.
We already know Inamura is good enough to play in the SPFL, from what we have seen. The question remains, is he up to it in Europe and in Glasgow derbies? The only way we can know that for sure, is to keep him at Celtic, and make him a regular member of the first team squad.
Rodgers is giving nothing away, nor should he. But I think it’s been well over a week now since Celtic were linked with a left-back by any reputable outlet. The decision may well have already been made.
