We can all see it. It is clearly evident that Reo Hatate was struggling with fitness over the weekend and against our rivals in the last Glasgow Derby.
Not many people would admit it but it is the mark of the man that is Reo Hatate that he is brave enough to do so.
Translated by Dan Orlowitz on Twitter, Hatate opened up on the reasons of his lack of fitness with a startling admission, “For the national team I had to go to Australia, then Japan, and back to Scotland.
“It was my first call-up as an overseas player and I was confronted with the difficulty of maintaining your condition while traveling and then immediately having to get results for your team.
“ON DAY ONE BACK AT CELTIC, THERE WAS A MOMENT WHEN THE BALL LOOKED DOUBLY AND I ALSO FELT A CLEAR JET LAG.
“IN ORDER TO COMPETE IN EUROPE, IT IS NECESSARY TO ADJUST THE CONDITIONS AND BE TOUGH TO WIN THE COMPETITION FOR POSITIONS WITH YOUR TEAM.
“I definitely feel tired but I want to keep doing whatever I can to help the team win the league, and I think I’ll become tougher and stronger as a result.”
If Hatate is so fatigued the now and still having a material impact on the team, just imagine the damage the midfield playmaker will do next season after a proper summer break.
Frightening to think about isn’t it?