Reo Hatate in honest Celtic fitness confession as Parkhead midfielder pinpoints where he needs to 'hold back'

Knackered Reo Hatate admits he is finding the punishing fixture card with Celtic tough as he looks to keep up his fitness levels.

The midfielder made an instant impression at Parkhead following his January arrival from side Kawasaki Frontale.

Goals against Hearts and Rangers early in his stint in Glasgow's east end immediately endeared him to the Celtic support, but in recent weeks he has looked off the pace.

The 24-year-old came through a packed J-League campaign before arriving in the Scottish Premiership, and also has to now balance international duty with Japan.

Following the disappointing defeat to Gio van Bronckhorst's men, Hatate has admitted he is finding the packed fixture card tough to handle.

He told Sportiva: "Since my debut against Hibernian I've felt the intensity of the European game and played a number of games. The fact that I've kept getting appearances shows that the team trusts in me and that's given me a lot of confidence.

"But for what feels like the first time, I'm definitely feeling emotional and physical fatigue. It's been three months since I arrived in Glasgow and getting used to a new environment on and off the pitch has been trial and error.

"In Japan there were ways I could refresh myself and take a mental break but that's difficult when you're playing so frequently.

"There are times when can't make a run on goal, or hold back on the attack to preserve the team's balance, and I have to recognise my fatigue.

"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.

"When