Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi reveals he almost 'gave up' football and speaks of strict side to Ange Postecoglou

The 27-year-old has been a revelation since his £4.6million move from Vissel Kobe last summer, finishing Celtic’s top scorer with 20 goals despite missing four months of the club’s cinch Premiership and Premier Sports Cup winning campaign with hamstring issues. However, it wasn’t until the age of 18 he signed with first team FC Gifu and the difficulties encountered before he did so led to him questioning whether he should continue to pursue a professional contract.

“I was ready to give up,” the Japanese attacker told the Toyko Weekender of his footballing trials during his late. “I’d been playing since I was five and did okay at student level. In my final year at university, I had trials at different teams but I couldn’t find a team. Fortunately, I had many supportive people around me, especially my parents who were brilliant. That helped me keep going and I eventually got my chance at Gifu.”

In the same interview, Furuhashi also acknowledged that being recruited by Ange Posteocglou, and working under him for the past year, had taken his game to a new level. Even as he hinted at a no-nonsense approach from the 56-year-old Australian. “It gave me confidence knowing he’d watched me play and felt I was the right fit for his team,” said the forward. “He’s a top-class coach and all the players here are benefiting from his ideas. Of course, there are times when he’s strict, but he’s also very complimentary when you do well. I think he strikes a good balance in that sense. I’ve got real respect for him.”

Kyogo Furuhashi celebrates at Celtic Park on presentation day for the cinch Premiership trophy. A success he attributes to the club's squad benefiting from Ange Postecoglou's "ideas". (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

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