Celtic ace Greg Taylor on the 'breath of fresh air' that is Kyogo

The Japanese midfielder could point to his on-field stats as evidence of just what he has brought to Scotland but it is his enthusiasm and energy within the dressing room that appears to be as significant as the ease with which he has acclimatised.

From stooping to pick up stray pieces of litter when walking off the pitch to high-fiving team-mates at the mouth of the tunnel when he couldn’t feature because of injury, Furuhashi has become a quiet talisman for the current Celtic side.

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Little wonder then that the J-League can expect further inquiries from the Parkhead side as the window prepares to re-open next month. A trio of players have been linked with a move to Ange Postecoglou’s side with Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi all reported to be on Celtic’s radar.

Full-back Greg Taylor, who is one of the players who will be expected to feature on the club’s final Europa League game against Real Betis tomorrow evening, sees the sense in Postecoglou returning to his old stomping ground as he looks for reinforcements.

"I can totally understand why the gaffer will look at the Japanese market,” said the Scotland internationalist. “He managed over there and he will have a strong knowledge of that league, and many others.

"You just need to look at how well Kyogo has done to see the talent that is there. He has been a breath of fresh air for us since coming to the club. He's an infectious character with the way he plays, his work-rate and his goals.

"Kyogo also does it all with a smile on his face. His level of performance has been top class and you look at his goal return. I can totally see why the manager would look to bring more players in from Japan. It makes total sense to me."

"Kyogo has a great work ethic and is a brilliant character around the place. But the gaffer has touched on this before - he wants to sign good people, not just good players. We have done that this season. The gaffer has brought in a lot of new signings but they are great guys as well as being talented. Kyogo belongs in that bracket. He has done really well for us and we love having him.”

Taylor’s left-position is one which has repeatedly been mentioned highlighted as a position requiring reinforcements. The full-back, though, is insistent that he has no fears about any competition arriving.

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“Competition drives the standard through the roof,” he said. “Even if it’s in training, the manager is a big believer in that. Even for the boys who aren’t playing, the training has to be right throughout the week. It keeps the levels high for the game on the Saturday.

“We do look forward to having reinforcements and it’s a strong squad as it is.”

December will be crucial for Celtic in terms of framing the latter half of the campaign. If January affords the option to bolster the squad, there is a need to focus on the immediate nature of the lengthy catalogue of games that comes before then.

In amongst it is the League Cup final against Hibs at Hampden and with an opportunity to claim the first silverware of the season.

Taylor admitted that getting fit in time to be in contention for that game was a driver in the latter stages of his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery.

"I'll be honest, the prospect of a cup final was in my mind during the whole rehab period,” he said. "And when we beat St Johnstone to get there, I was desperate to accelerate things.

"I would love to be involved as I have never played in the League Cup final. I missed the final against Rangers in 2019 because I was cup-tied with Kilmarnock.

"I did manage to play in the Scottish Cup final last year, but it would be nice to play against Hibs.”

Taylor’s return from a problematic shoulder injury enables Postecoglou to get another player back on the training pitch but the Greek Australian has yet to have a full quota of players available to him. And while Taylor’s recovery has come smoothly, the extent of the problem was explained by the player.

"My shoulder dislocated and I got a procedure where you get a bone graft to stabilise it,” he said. “It was just about making sure the bone had healed and giving it time to heal.

“With my injury, it was a bit different as it was the shoulder. I have been training physically for the best part of five weeks, doing running. It was a case of waiting for the go-ahead from the surgeon to resume contact stuff.

"That happened pretty recently and from that moment, I was available to play.

"So I wasn't too surprised when the manager put me back in and I was happy to get the chance from him.

"It was a frustrating time for me as I was able to run - but just couldn't take part in full training.

"At one stage I was doing the same thing every day but we had aims here and there.

"I was looking to build more strength in my legs and things like that. Before that, I'd never had a long-term injury but I was able to get through it and there was light at the end of the tunnel.”