BARCELONA legend Andrés Iniesta has wished Celtic star Kyogo Furuhashi a happy birthday on his Instagram story.

The pair arrived at Vissel Kobe in the summer of 2018 and played together for four seasons before the Japanese forward made the move to Parkhead.

Iniesta remains the captain of the J-League side whose season begins next month.

Celtic Way:

In August, Iniesta told The Times: “Kyogo is an excellent footballer.

“He is so hard-working; he is very fast and scores goals. He has many very good qualities for European football.”

Since arriving in Glasgow, the 27-year-old has scored 16 goals in 26 appearances, including a brace in last month’s League Cup final.

The Spaniard added: “I’m glad he’s started so well in Glasgow because he was really looking forward to playing in Europe.

“Celtic is a historic club in world football and ideal for Kyogo.”

The forward was not included in Celtic’s squad against Hibs on Monday as he continues to recover from an injury he suffered against St Johnstone in the final game before the winter break.

Meanwhile, Celtic are set to announce their fifth January signing.

MK Dons midfielder Matt O’Riley has passed a medical at the Parkhead club ahead of a move to Glasgow.

Celtic have triggered the 21-year-old's £1.5 million release clause and it is believed that some add-ons are included in the deal.

This comes after Ange Postecoglou said last week he was not planning on bringing any more players to Parkhead this window.