Daizen Maeda's Celtic welcome message to Hayato Inamura

The National

11 hours ago

The Japanese central defender signed a four-year deal at Parkhead on Friday.
Inamura has already trained with his new teammates, and his fellow countryman and new teammate, Maeda, gave him a warm welcome online.
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The attacker, who was crucial for Celtic last season, shared a picture of Inamura with writing in Japanese, which translates to 'Dear Niigata (Inamura's old club), he's fine'.
Daizen Maeda welcomes Hayato Inamura to Celtic. (Image: Instagram/@m_daizen0827)
It's clear that Celtic view the 23-year-old, who has just over a year of senior football experience under his belt, as a player for the future.
"He won't be part of the first team," said manager Brendan Rodgers.
"We'll assess and see where he's at as a young player. Then it's whether he stays with the squad or whether he has to go out on his own."
Inamura has taken number 25, in tribute to ex-Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura, who was one of his heroes growing up: "He was one of my favourite players," the defender told CelticTV.
"The reason why I chose 25 is because out of the options I was given, that one really stood out to me.
"I used to imitate his kicking style when I was a kid," said Inamura.
"Many Japanese players have had success at this club. Across the world, this is a massive club and is really well known.
"I am truly excited to be joining Celtic. It's a huge opportunity for me. So far, even the current Japanese players have been performing at a high level."