Celtic defender forces Brendan Rodgers into u-turn | OneFootball

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that he may be forced to rethink Hayato Inamura’s future after his showing against Cork City. The Irishman initially dismissed the arrival of the defender, suggesting that he was a youth prospect as opposed to a first team ready option.

Speaking after the pre-season win against Cork City (as reported by Sun Sport), Rodgers was asked directly if the performance forced a rethink of the manager’s plans.

“100-per-cent. I’m not fixed on it.The plan was to bring him in, see how he does pre-season, thinking that he may need to get out and play.

“But I always judge players on the pre-season, on how they look and are they going to be capable.

“He’s certainly in the few days training, he’s shown he’s so smooth with the ball. Not only that, he plays forward.

“I’ve got to say, he surprised me.

“In these first days training, he’s so competent with the ball. He’s a good size.

“His comfort on the ball, his willingness to attack is really good. So we’ll see how he looks over the remaining games.”

The defender was signed last week and Rodgers appeared to confirm that he would go out on loan. Now, it appears that Inamura could remain at Celtic Park and attempt to compete with Kieran Tierney for that left back role.

Inamura was positive on the ball and had a bit of a build on him. Despite being predominantly a central defender, Inamura has played at left back, which he showed in glimpses when he got forward. Whilst it is early stages and a game against a poor League of Ireland side, Inamura appears to have impressed the manager.