Journalist Stuart Hodge has compared Celtic summer signing Kyogo Furuhashi to the club's former striker Henrik Larsson.
What did Hodge say about Furuhashi?
Larsson spent seven years at Celtic between 1997 and 2004, and established himself as a fans' favourite, scoring 242 goals in 315 games, which earned the Swede a move to Spanish giants Barcelona.
Celtic have had some high-class players come through their doors since in the shape of Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard, who have since moved on to Atletico Madrid and Crystal Palace, respectively.
Back in July, Furuhashi arrived in Glasgow, and Hodge has claimed that although he may not surpass Dembele in terms of ability, he is regarded by the fans as the most exciting player to join Celtic since Larsson came over from the Netherlands almost a quarter of a century ago.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT about Furuhashi, Hodge said: “I’m not saying that he’s a better player than Moussa Dembele because I’m not sure yet. But, what we’ll see is, in terms of exciting the fans, he’s the most exciting talent Celtic have had since Henrik Larsson.”
What are Furuhashi's stats this season?
Having moved from Japanese side Vissel Kobe for £4.9m, some may have expected Furuhashi to take his time to settle in. Instead, he has hit the ground running.
The 26-year-old scored on his debut for the club in Europa League qualifying, and then followed that up by netting a hat-trick in the league against Dundee.
Overall, he has found the net seven times in nine matches across all competitions, and has quickly endeared himself to the club's supporters. Furuhashi is currently sidelined with a knee injury, and Celtic will hope that he can recover quickly and help push them higher up the table after a stuttering start to the season.
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How good can Furuhashi be?
Being compared to Larsson at such an early stage in his career is a huge compliment for Furuhashi but will also bring major pressure.
Larsson is widely regarded as one of Celtic's greatest players, and it will be very difficult for Furuhashi to ever reach his level over the coming years.
Still, his start to life at Celtic has been exceptional, and at 26, he should be entering his peak, suggesting that the best is yet to come. If that is the case, Celtic's fans will have a lot to look forward to in the next few seasons with Furuhashi leading the line.