The Japan star has fallen out of favour this season and was at fault for Livingston’s equaliser on Wednesday night
Celtic’s Reo Hatate(Image: SNS Group)
Charlie Mulgrew has questioned out-of-sorts Reo Hatate’s commitment to Celtic.
Japanese midfielder Hatate has been well off the boil this season and has lost his place in the starting line-up under Martin O’Neill.
Hatate – now in his fifth season at Parkhead – had been linked with a winter exit, with Palmeiras linked and the Brazilian market open until March 1. But the 28-year-old is set to stay put until the end of the season at least.
Hoops supporters will be hoping he can recapture the form that made him a fans’ favourite. But Mulgrew has been left seriously unimpressed after the playmaker gifted Livingston a penalty with a sloppy clearance on Wednesday night.
He told Go Radio: “It’s not an ability thing with Hatate, because we’ve all seen how brilliant he can be in a Celtic top.
“It’s an attitude thing, whether he doesn’t want to be at Celtic anymore, a move never transpired that he thought would or whether he’s just had enough.
“If you don’t approach a game with the right attitude, things like that happen. It’s not a coincidence you start swinging legs at balls in the box and give away penalties.”
Hatate has looked like a shadow of the player who exploded onto the scene under Ange Postecoglou.
Boss O’Neill wants the Japan international’s full focus on the title fight with a crucial run of games ahead.
He said: “I think players go through this over the course of a season. I know you can’t live in past glories, but Reo was one of the top players in the SPFL about a season and a half ago.
“He just has to try and regain that sort of form again. I didn’t (hear about interest from Brazil). Honestly, no.”
However, O’Neill insists he has no fears over Hatate’s mindset and added: “I mentioned the German side [Wolfsburg] supposed to be interested in Maeda.
“That probably plays in your mind for a while, but he got down to it. Everybody in the transfer window thinks, ‘Oh, I can go here,” and then when the first or second of February comes and it’s not happening, you just have to settle down again. There is loads to play for, for them personally as much as playing for us.”
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