Buzzing Reo Hatate rifled the best goal of his career as his classy feet do the talking during his opening days at Celtic.
But the Japanese ace believes he’ll need to improve his communication skills to properly take the next steps in his Parkhead progression.
And he feels the entire squad have to get yapping to keep making a big noise.
Hatate’s ability in just two Celtic outings since his move this month from Kawasaki Frontale has spoken loud and clear.
The midfielder backed up his man-of-the-match debut against Hibs with a blistering goal at Tynecastle as his team surged to success over Hearts.
Hatate’s displays have everyone talking, but as he adapts to a new culture and a new environment, the kid insists there’s more to come once he can fully engage with his colleagues on the park.
Football is often described as a universal language and no words are required to describe strikes such as the screamer that got Celtic up and running in Gorgie.
Yet Hatate wants to keep improving and believes that will come hand in hand with clearer messages switching back and forth amongst his team-mates.
Speaking through his interpreter, he explained: “In terms of communication there are a lot of things to do.
“On the pitch, I can express myself in football, so I am okay. But, again, in communication I would like to improve and have better communication.
“In terms of the game, we have times when we can keep ourselves, but there are times when we can’t keep our discipline.
“So we will have to talk and communicate to each other within the team, make it better and improve.
“I am not playing as just me, but I am also playing with all of my team mates. We will have to improve and communicate with each other to make it better.”
Actions, of course, can speak louder than words and Postecoglou appears to have unearthed another gem from the J-League.
Kyogo Furuhashi is already a fans’ favourite with his 16 goals before injury and Daizen Maeda struck on debut against Hibs before heading away on international duty.
Japanese TV beamed live coverage of Celtic’s game at Tynecastle and Hatate delivered a special moment for his fans back home.
The outrageous 30-yard strike which seared beyond Craig Gordon was one of the moments of the Scottish season so far and he was thrilled with it.
Asked if he’s scored any better, Hatate said: “It’s the best goal (I've scored). I am very happy with it. I have managed to score in my second game and I am relieved about that.”
It was jaw-dropping to most observers inside Tynecastle, but perhaps not so much Postecoglou.
The Australian has shown a superb eye for a player during his raids into the transfer market since taking over at Parkhead and the look on his face in the immediate aftermath of the game when quizzed about the moment of magic said a lot.
Postecoglou seemed unsurprised. He pointed out the fact it had been delivered after just one appearance in a month - his 70 minutes against Hibs - and said: “He’s got more. He’s just beginning.
“He set a pretty high bar after the first game, but he’s a very determined young man to reach the top.”
Hatate will need to adapt to differing conditions and opposition throughout his career as he goes up the ladder and negotiating Scottish football is his current challenge.
The feisty and fast-paced 90 minutes on the park against Hearts was an education and so was the extreme atmosphere from the stands as both sets of fans drove up the volume.
Hatate admits it was an eye opener and said: “I have enjoyed every game a lot. The environment of the stadium is very hot and I was sometimes very scared of that.”
Fully-committed tackles and bookings flowed and he continued: “The reach and the toughness [of opponents] is very different. They are tall and have long legs.
“I consider that I am also a physical player, but I still have to improve to compete in this league. This is why I have to work harder in the training and improve.”
The fact Hatate was having to deliver alongside another new boy offered more encouragement to the supporters about his future input.
While he’s had 70 minutes against Hibs, Matt O’Riley had zero Celtic minutes in the bank before being plunged into the Gorgie cauldron.
As skipper Callum McGregor watched from the stand and stand-in skipper Nir Bitton guided in the engine room, the newbies did the job.
Hatate said: “With Matt, we don’t have enough time to train. We have to learn about each other during the game.
“But I can play very well with him. He also tried to utilise me efficiently.”
With resources tight in the middle of the park due to the injury absences of McGregor, David Turnbull and his countryman Yosuke Ideguchi, Hatate is set to be thrust straight back into it against Dundee United tomorrow.
The kid will also get a first taste of a derby against Rangers on Wednesday, but it’s one step at a time as he said: “We have the next match before that, so I am just concentrating on that.”
