Kyogo says World Cup snub was catalyst for stunning Celtic form

The 28-year-old star was a shock omission for the Qatar tournament and hasn't been included too in Japan's latest squad.

However, Furuhashi is enjoying an excellent season for the Hoops and has scored 26 goals for the club in all competitions.

And, in a new Japanese TV interview, Furuhashi has revealed how the shock snub kickstarted his season under Ange Postecoglou.

He said: "I am really happy in Glasgow.

"I had prepared to play in the World Cup. But it's useless to talk and think about the past.

"So after me not getting into the squad happened, I decided I was only going to concentrate on the future at Celtic.

"I wanted to score a goal in every game to help the team win.

"I have managed to score more goals than any other Japanese player in a season in Europe.

"My dream of playing in the World Cup for Japan has not come true so far, but the season has been very good for me."

Meanwhile, Mikael Lustig has hailed Callum McGregor for captaining Celtic in his own way after taking over the role from Scott Brown.

The Scotland international was handed the armband for the start of the 2021-22 season, following former captain Brown’s move to Aberdeen.

Former Sweden defender Lustig played for the Parkhead club between 2012 and 2019 and he returned to Glasgow at the weekend for the first time since his departure to promote an event involving himself and Brown in May.

He watched former team-mate McGregor, who came through the ranks at Celtic, guide the champions to a 3-1 home victory over Hibernian on Saturday.

Lustig said: “It has been unbelievable. A lot of new players coming in from all around the world and to have Callum as a proper Celtic boy has been really important.

“Obviously he played under Broony but he doesn’t try to be Broony, he is just himself.

“You can see him, he is a quite calm guy, maybe not talking that much but the way he was playing, the way he was training is just top and that’s why he has been so good.”