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The situation could be summed up in just a single word - "wow."

That was Japanese football expert Dan Orlowitz's reaction to the fact that just one Celtic player had made the cut for the 26-man squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Congratulations to Daizen Maeda but commiserations to Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate.

Hajime Moriyasu had played his cards.

Twenty of the 26 players chosen ply their trade on this continent which is a far cry from the just four European-based players that represented Japan in 2010 when they reached the last 16 of the tournament.

Despite this, Furuhashi and Hatate were the European fall guys.

High-profile stars such as Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu and Monaco’s Takumi Minamino, as well as Stuttgart's Wataru Endo, Sporting Lisbon's Hidemasa Morita and Fortuna Dusseldorf's Ao Tanaka have all made the midfield cut.

Up front, Kyogo has lost out to Bochum's Takuma Asano and Ayase Ueda from Cercle Brugge.

The Hoops talisman has, as Orlowitz opined: "struggled to replicate his explosive club form in Moriyasu's system, or his teammate Reo Hatate who has impressed in the Champions League."

However, Daizen Maeda's inclusion is not up for question.

Again Orlowitz writing in the Japan Times stated: "Maeda is an end-to-end attacker; for better or for worse Japan will need his legs at some point.

"When you're playing Germany and Spain you probably need that more than Kyogo's skillset.

"I understand Hatate hasn't had enough time to work his way into the system, but it still burns."

It may "burn" for someone who has both Japanese club and national football interests at heart.

What about those of a more parochial club persuasion?

Is there a silver lining to Kyogo and Hatate's omission from a Hoops perspective?

Celtic Way:

Yes, there is. That's the short answer.

 Ange Postecoglou will be publicly gutted for the Japanese duo.

The Aussie actively encourages his men to be the best they can be and represent their country at the highest level.

Privately at this juncture, though, the ex-Socceroos coach might well be delighted from a purely selfish point of view.

There is now less chance of two of his key players getting injured at a major tournament.

His side has had rotten luck with injuries to vital members of personnel since he inherited the managerial reins.

Can you imagine a Celtic midfield functioning without Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate?

Meanwhile, Kyogo missed a significant part of the campaign last season, and the 57-year-old referred to that fact in the aftermath of the Scottish champions' 3-1 win over Livingston.

He made clear he would not risk him when he didn't need to and that he would continue his policy of rotation with regard to his two main strikers.

Postecoglou said: "I think we’ve been a little bit unfair to him. As a striker, you love a run of games.

"This time last year, he was scoring every week because I was playing him every week. Then he did his hamstring and he was out for two months.

"I wasn’t going to let that happen again this year."

The former Yokohama F Marinos boss now has the luxury of giving his players some valuable downtime.

Let's not forget it was Hatate who complained of feeling "fatigued" at one point last season.

Proper rest and recuperation are vital components for modern-day footballers.

While it is gutting for the two players concerned that they are missing out on the greatest football extravaganza on earth, which kicks off in two week's time, both of Celtic's prized assets will not be in a global shop window, and that also aids and abets the Hoops' bid to hold on to the pair a while longer.

Both players may also now take part in the Sydney Cup, which is a massive bonus for Bhoys supporters who reside in that part of the world.

What a thrill it will be for the Parkhead faithful down under to see the likes of Kyogo and Hatate perform in the flesh against English Premier League opposition in the shape of Everton.

Japan's loss looks almost certain to be Celtic's gain. The two stars will undoubtedly have a point to prove. Kyogo and Hatate will be determined to show Moriyasu what he is missing.

Suddenly the prospect of both being properly rested, recuperated and rejuvenated for the second part of the Scottish champions' season starts to have mass appeal for the Hoops manager, teammates and supporters alike.

The silver lining could well manifest itself in even more silverware.

This piece is an extract from today’s Celtic Digest newsletter, which is emailed out every weekday evening with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from The Celtic Way team.

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