The 14 Japan players keeping Celtic stars out as 'insane' verdict put under the microscope

Kyogo and Reo Hatate must be wondering what on earth they'll have to do to force their way back into the Japan squad.

Hatate has been one of the best midfielders in the Premiership, racking up more minutes than any other midfielder - including Callum McGregor - and looks in line for a player of the year nomination. Then there's Kyogo, on 26 goals in all competitions and touching the top ten in the standings for the European Golden Boot for which Erling Haaland is running away.

Yet just as they were for the World Cup, they were overlooked - with Daizen Maeda once again the only Celtic star fancied by Hajime Moriyasu. His explanations for leaving them out have so far been wishy-washy although this time he offered a little bit more, revealing the "level" of the Scottish Premiership factored into his thinking.

He said: "I've watched all of Celtic's games and seen what they've accomplished and their presence in the team. But there's no bar to clear to be called up; it's a comprehensive decision. We think about the level of the league and various other factors when making the decision. For this squad we focused on the squad from Qatar as well as some new players. There will be other call-ups. As I said, we're trying to build strongest team possible ahead of 2026. In order to do that we're taking a wide view of how to build the team... as I think we all agree, (Reo and Kyogo) would absolutely be able to contribute to the team, but this time I wanted to try out some different players and that's why they weren't selected."

The latter part of that explanation would stack up if he hadn't also left them out of his World Cup squad just five months earlier. And as for the former, fans have been left wondering why Maeda was included