Celtic hero Daizen Maeda breaks silence on future amid interest from Jose Mourinho and English Premier…
DAIZEN MAEDA has handed Celtic a huge boost by pledging his future to the Hoops after insisting he wants to do even better next season.
The Japanese international won multiple Player of the Year awards after an outstanding season where he scored 34 goals for club and country in 56 games.
2
2
His superb form attracted interest, with Jose Mourinho‘s Fenerbahce joining West Ham United in admiring the 27-year-old.
Maeda is back home and was given a rest by Japan for their World Cup double-headers this month after they became the first team to qualify for next year’s tournament as early as March.
He was the guest of honour at one of his former clubs – Mito HollyHock – at their game in the second tier of Japanese football against Nagasaki, along with international teammate Ryotaro Ito, who was also at the club and now plays in Belgium for Sint-Truiden.
Maeda was quizzed in front of the fans about his season at Celtic and made it perfectly clear he will remain in Glasgow next season.
Read More Football Stories
He said: “I was in great form this season, both personally and so were the team.
“So I’d like to keep it going next season.
“I am who I am because of my team, Celtic.
“I’d like to thank my teammates and, above all, my family for supporting me so far.
“I’d be happy if I could score more goals next season. I hope the number of goals will continue to increase.
“My career really took off here in Mito. When I first came to Mito, I thought, ‘No one can run at all!
Celtic ace lookalike goes viral in hilarious vids spoofing Hoops star Daizen Maeda
“My forte is sprinting multiple times during a match and running for 90 minutes straight. I came to Mito and learned about not wanting to lose games.”
And he was praised by his former colleague Ito.
He said: “I used to think Daizen was bad at shooting, but I don’t think we can say that anymore!
“He seems to win his club points on his own. His growth curve has been incredible.
“I thought he’d make the Japanese national team, but it’s crazy to become Player of the Year in another league.
“But honestly, I am not surprised. I think Daizen has that much ability.”
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
