'Done final on one leg before': Kyogo Furuhashi update from Celtic boss after Japanese forward suffers injury

Ange Postecoglou has issued a reminder that Kyogo Furuhashi can be effective even on one leg in cup finals after Scotland’s outstanding player of the year limped out of Celtic’s trophy day thrashing of Aberdeen.

Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi and Ange Postecoglou with the Premiership trophy at full time.

A leg injury sustained in a challenge with Aberdeen goalkeeper Kelle Roos has put his participation in Saturday’s Scottish Cup final against Inverness Caledonian Thistle in some doubt. Postecoglou struck an upbeat note afterwards as he reflected on the striker’s match winning contribution in the League Cup final against Hibs last season. Kyogo had been a doubt going into the match but scored twice in the 2-1 win despite being far from fit.

Kyogo scored another double in the 5-0 win over Aberdeen to make it 33 for the season as Celtic finished their league campaign in style. The striker was still limping when he returned to the pitch to celebrate with his teammates after the final whistle. He now faces a race against time to recover before Celtic bid to secure the treble against Inverness.

Postecoglou sounded confident that he will play a part at Hampden. “It’s too early to tell but I don’t think it’s anything serious,” he said. “Speaking to the medical guys we’ll see how it settles down. At this stage, with it being a cup final…he has done a cup final on one leg before so unless both his legs are out I reckon there’s a chance.”

Another five goals meant Postecoglou’s side broke the club’s post-war scoring record in a league season with 114 goals. The previous best was the 111 total reached by the Lisbon Lions in 1966-67. “It’s kind of what my football is about,” said the manager. “I love my teams to play. I have said before, I set my teams up to win and hopefully entertain the fans. The players have done that this year. They have been relentless. Just the sheer volume of goals and even on a day like this, not relaxing when it’s 3-0 or even 4-0. They want to make every moment in the game count.”

There was one elephant in the room on another glory day for Celtic – the continued speculation linking Postecoglou with a move to Tottenham Hotspur. He was asked whether the pre and post-match scenes were a timely reminder of what he had at Celtic. “I feel it every day,” he said. “I know it is a special football club and I've had wonderful support from day one. I am enjoying being part of this football club but I also take the responsibility seriously.”