Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate has made a brutal self-assessment about his international career with Japan. 

The midfielder was called up by Hajime Moriyasu for games against China and Bahrain this month.

Hatate didn’t feature against the former, despite his side being four goals to the good at half-time.

The 26-year-old wasn’t even named on the bench for the clash with the Chinese, although his Hoops teammate Daizen Maeda came on to score in the dying embers.

Japan eventually won 7-0 and while Hatate was disappointed not to be involved, he understands why.

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Indeed, the former Kawasaki Frontale man made a brutal self-assessment about his ability and why he isn’t regularly playing for his country.

Speaking in his homeland, Hatate’s words (loosely translated via Google) express his self-awareness.

“I think me being left off is due to my lack of ability”, he said.

“If I had the ability, I would have been able to participate in the games and be a member of the team, so I think my lack of ability is the reason for this result.

“I want to do well for myself. I think I can improve even more. I want to keep that in mind as I work on my game.”

Hatate will be hoping he can make his way back into Moriyasu’s thinking when the Samurai Blue take on Bahrain tomorrow evening in World Cup qualifying.