THE MLS may have apologised for mistakenly announcing that Kyogo Furuhashi had joined Atlanta United on their website last week, but rumours about the striker leaving Celtic during the January transfer window persist.
Even when he’s scoring and winning matches.
The Japanese internationalist’s subdued celebrations after both of the goals he netted in the 4-1 victory over Ross County at the Global Energy Stadium on Saturday have simply fuelled speculation about his future further.
Yet, Callum McGregor, who trains with Furuhashi every day at Lennoxtown and played alongside him in Dingwall at the weekend, remains convinced his team mate is content in his current surroundings.
“I don’t know if he’s celebrating more or not,” he said. “I’m not reading too much into that. He’s scoring goals, he’s still working hard for the team. Anytime I see him train, any time I see him play for the team, he’s still giving his all. So that would suggest that he’s happy and wants to be part of the team.”
McGregor - who helped Brendan Rodgers’ men grind out a victory in freezing conditions up in the Highlands which sent them, if only for 24 hours, 18 points clear of Rangers at the top of the William Hill Premiership table – is certainly hoping the £4.5m signing stays at Celtic.
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He feels the man who took, despite playing out of position on the wing due to injuries, his tally for the 2024/25 campaign to 12 with his double against County will be very difficult for the Scottish champions to replace.
“He’s a proper footballer and has great game intelligence,” he said. “He pretty much has everything. He can come and link the game, set one touch and his movement is incredible.
“The first goal was exactly what we worked on. Big Ads [Idah] came short and then he was the one that broke the line and ended up getting the goal. He was intelligent enough to see the space. That’s his biggest strength, but his finishing is unbelievable. Even the second one is such a good header.
“So, yeah, I’ve probably run out of superlatives for him, to be honest. He’s still such a huge and important part of what we’re doing and we’re really lucky to have him as well.”
“So I’m sure that the club will want to keep him as long as we can because he’s a huge player for us and, again, in sticky games like Saturday, he can come in and make the difference. That’s what you need from your strikers.”
McGregor continued: “He’s still pretty quiet, but he’s just in his own wee personality. He’s a nice guy, very, very respectful of everybody at Lennoxtown and everybody that works for the club.
“So, number one, he’s a great person. You don’t always have to be the loudest person in the room to be a good guy. He goes about his work and he gives absolutely everything. So he’s a pleasure to share a changing room with and the lads know that as well.”
Celtic have been linked with a £7m move for Denmark Under-21 internationalist Mathias Kvistgaarden of Brondby in January – speculation which has done nothing to quell uncertainty over Furuhashi.
McGregor is acutely aware of the need for the treble-chasing Premier Sports Cup winners, who are on the cusp of qualifying for the Champions League knockout round play-offs, to strengthen their squad further this month. However, he acknowledged that it will take an exceptional talent to supplant their current No 9.
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“His record’s been incredible since he came in,” he said. “So that’s what this club is. We always want to keep moving forward and, if there’s business to be done, then we want to do it and just keep pushing everybody in the right direction.
“So, obviously, the club will look after that. But we want to add quality to the squad as well, not just numbers. So, hopefully, whoever comes in and whatever position, then that is adding to the quality as well.”
He is hopeful that working with the likes of Idah and Furuhashi on a daily basis at Lennoxtown can help the striker, who has impressed in the past couple of seasons after being farmed out to Shamrock Rovers, to develop further as a player.
“He’s done really well since he’s been out on loan,” he said. “But his loan’s finished, he’s back with us now and he’s looked good in the last couple of days training with the squad.
“Of course, it’s always the ultimate reward to get on the pitch and be a part of it. He came into the game at a sort of sticky time, but he showed good quality and nice link-up play. He’s in the box, he’s in the right areas, he’s probably unlucky not to get a goal himself.
“For young players, it’s always great to see them coming through the academy because it shows there is a pathway there for you. When you get on, you have to take your chance and continue to work hard. I think he knows that anyway, but the group is a really strong group, so we’ll keep him in the right direction as well.”
McGregor continued: “I think we’ve got top professionals and top players in pretty much every department. So when you come into this changing room, you see the level and the expectation and the way the boys look after themselves.
“So for any young player, and we had a few other kids on the bench as well, that’s the level you have to be at. We’ll keep driving them there and training and keep trying to help them develop as much as they can.
“Then when they get the opportunity, then it’s almost down to them to try and take it, but we’ll help them as much as we can as well.”
