Reo Hatate has revealed that he is studying the game of Kaoru Mitoma at Brighton to help improve his own game.
Much like Hatate's impact at Celtic, Mitoma has been a star performer for the Seagulls and he is now a key figure for his national team, Japan.
The pair played for a brief period together at Kawasaki Frontale in the J1 league, and now Hatate is aiming to build a positive partnership on the international stage.
Speaking to Soccer Digest, he said: “I think Kaoru is leading the national team, so I want to show my value when I go out too. I don’t want to be pulled along, I want to be an equal.
"I’ve been watching the (Brighton) games on TV for a long time, so it’s been stimulating and playing with him I’ve seen first-hand how good he is and how he’s developing.
"So I want to absorb those things and use them for my own development.
“People tend to focus on the attack but I was very quick in switching from attack to defence and the intensity of my pressing has also increased.
"The attacking part of the game is obvious for everyone to see but in the defensive part there were a lot of things I felt when we worked together. I felt we were growing.”
Hatate had a fine season for Celtic and was only pipped to player of the year by his lethal teammate Kyogo Furuhashi.
Mitoma has been impressed by Hatate's form at the Hoops and he reckons he has big future ahead of him.
He said previously: “I have the impression that the intensity and the quality of each and every play is getting higher.
“I am also inspired by him (Hatate), and I have a strong feeling that I can’t lose. I have a lot to learn from him, so I hope I can integrate that (Hatate’s awareness and enthusiasm of the game) into my game.”
