Celtic Midfielder Reo Hatate Sidelined with Hamstring Injury Until After Christmas, Set to Miss World Cup Qualifiers and Champions League Matches
Tests reveal significant damage forcing the 25-year-old player to miss the next 12 games, extending his troubled start to the season which had previous interruptions due to injuries.
- Reo Hatate, Celtic's midfielder, has been ruled out until after Christmas due to a hamstring injury he picked up in their Champions League match against Atletico Madrid.
- Brendan Rodgers, Celtic's manager, confirmed the extent of Hatate's injury, leaving the exact return date uncertain, but announcing the player will be out of the pitch for approximately two months.
- Hatate will consequently miss Celtic's three remaining group stage matches in the Champions League and Japan's Asian second-round World Cup qualifying matches in November against Myanmar and Syria.
- Hajime Moriyasu, Japan's manager, admitted the absence of Hatate is frustrating while expressing his hopes of the player's complete recovery to return stronger to the national team.
- This injury marks prolonged disruptions in Hatate's season, as he also missed six weeks last season due to the same injury on his other leg and was out for a month with a calf injury earlier this year.