Every Celtic fan knows just how important Kyogo Furuhashi is to the club.
The Japanese striker hit the 60-goal milestone for Celtic in the 4-1 win over Hearts at Tynecastle last weekend as he continues his red-hot scoring streak for the club.
But if Kyogo was to get injured, could Celtic cope without him? Is there another player at the club who could step into his boots and do just as good a job? Not according to Paul Lambert.
The former Celtic hero was speaking about the ‘incredible‘ 28-year-old ahead of the Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid and said that the striker is ‘irreplaceable’.
Lambert said [The Scottish Sun], “It’s been great to see so many players chipping in with goals from all over the park for Celtic this season.
“But what that tells you is Kyogo is irreplaceable just now.
“While the likes of [Hyeongyu] Oh seems to have to work hard for his goals Kyogo is a natural finisher, and he always seems to be between the posts when the ball comes to him.
“Kyogo scores quite a variety of goals — he often shoots early, which doesn’t give keepers the chance to set themselves.”
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Why Celtic fans shouldn’t be worried if Kyogo stops scoring
Ok, maybe that heading is a bit of a stretch because we would worry if the Japanese talisman all of a sudden lost his shooting boots, but there really would be no need to panic.
As Lambert suggests, the goals are now coming from other areas of the park. Take Sunday’s win over Hearts as an example.
Matt O’Riley, Tomoki Iwata and Daizen Maeda all got on the scoresheet for Celtic. O’Riley has been sensational for the Hoops this season by chipping in six goals already.
Maeda has two and Luis Palma has also netted twice for the Hoops. And who’s to say that if Oh got a run in the team he couldn’t contribute?
With the amount of chances Celtic create, the South Korean would be nailed on to hit at least double figures for Brendan Rodgers. Oh proved last season that he knows where the back of the net is. There is no reason to doubt that he can’t do it again.
But Lambert is correct. Kyogo is so important to Celtic and it’s not just because of his scoring record. His defensive work is also excellent.
The Celtic fans know how lucky they are to have such a talented striker at the club.
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