Reo Hatate Get the latest news from Record Sport with our daily newsletter More Newsletters Subscribe Please enter a valid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show me See Our Privacy Notice See Our Privacy Notice × Group 28 Get the latest news from Record Sport with our daily newsletter Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up No thanks, close We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice Reoi Hatate admits his lengthy Celtic injury lay-off left him feeling "depressed" but has vowed to show his worth to fans so they feel they NEED him again. The Japanese made his return to action with a fine performance in Sunday's 3-0 win over Livingston . It was the midfielder's first start since October after three stints of the sidelines that have limited him to just 12 appearances for Brendan Rodgers' side. HIs most recent injury set back came in January after injuring BOTH calves during the Asian Cup. But now he's changed his training in a bod to stay fit and is in line to face Rangers in Sunday's Premiership title showdown at Ibrox. But it's been a long road and Hatate has opened up on struggling mentally with not being able to train or play. “I have been repeatedly injured and not been able to contribute to the team," he wrote in his Sportiva column. Read More Related Articles The calm Celtic head amid the chaos earns acclaim from Alan Stubbs who sees new Rangers challenge Read More Related Articles Green Brigade reveal plans for Rangers blockbuster as Celtic ultras see off their heroes and send appeal to fans “I want to win as many titles as possible and I want to show the Celtic fans a performance that once again makes them think, ‘Celtic need Reo Hatate’. “During my rehabilitation in preparation for my return, I reviewed everything. This included preparation for competitions, physical strength, training content and diet. “The most recent injury was my third this season and although it was in a different location, it was a huge shock to have sustained a similar injury over and over again. “When I returned to
Scotland after the Asian Cup, my heart sank for a while. I had also been injured in a match against Atletico Madrid in the
Champions League on October 25 last year. I was disappointed at that moment, but quickly recovered. “I thought to myself, ‘I will definitely recover from my injury and participate in the Asian Cup’. By setting clear goals for my return, I was able to stay much more positive. “However, this time, it was difficult for me to change my mind because I had been injured playing in a competition that had been my goal.” Celtic's Reo Hatate celebrates with teammates after Livingston's Jamie Brandon scores an own goal (Image: SNS Group) Hatate thanked his parents for helping him get through the "dark times" of his early weeks of rehab. He said: “I handled my feelings and emotions as I felt them and I spent a lot of time feeling depressed. “However, that doesn’t mean I cut corners in my rehab or that I neglected my daily life. I was doing my best in everything but, to put it simply, I just wasn’t motivated and had no energy. “However, there are people who care about me and who worry about me, including, of course, my family. My father was concerned about my injury and my mother was also concerned about my condition. They contacted me, which naturally led me to become more positive.” A return to action provided light at the end of the tunnel and hatate has vowed to learn from the experience. “It’s one thing not to force yourself to control or maintain your feelings and sometimes just to surrender to the flow," he said. “There are very few people who have everything going well in their life. What seems like a long detour to you often turns out to be a shortcut. “There are times when I have thought I didn’t have to experience something. But later I realise I was glad I had. “The same goes for injuries. I realised that, whether you think it’s a waste of time or whether you can even use that time to your advantage, depends on your own way of thinking and how you perceive it.” (Image: Getty Images) Hatate's inclusion in the
Japan squad for the Asian Cup came as a surprise given he;d only return for Celtic a few weeks before. And he reckons he wasn't as fit as he could have been against Bahrain before suffering a double calf injury. “After the injury, I looked back at myself and thought the following, ‘Why this timing?’ Now that I think about it, there was something off about the match against Bahrain. “This is just an afterthought and it’s just a feeling, but even when I was playing, I felt a little different than usual. The feeling of passing was a little different than usual and I might not have been able to see my surroundings as usual. “In terms of distance, the error was only one or two centimetres. In terms of volume of work, the difference was only one or two marks on the scale. But I really felt a definite difference. “Conditions vary from game to game, so I don’t think that was a factor that directly led to the injury. However, when an accident occurs, it is probably due to a combination of these factors. “I was unable to swallow my frustration on the pitch, but after the Asian Cup my feelings for the Japanese national team grew even more. Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Follow Daily Record
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