Rodgers tried to sell £3m Celtic star, now he looks like prime Maeda

Scottish champions Celtic simply have to win in midweek to keep their Premiership title hopes alive, having ensured they remain firmly in the race, for now, following Sunday’s draw in the derby.

It had all begun so poorly for Martin O’Neill’s men at Ibrox, enduring a car-crash first-half in which everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Parkhead side.

To their credit, the Hoops responded after the break to flip the fixture on its head, deservingly drawing level at the death through Reo Hatate’s nerve-jangling rebound from the spot, following Kieran Tierney’s earlier header.

That second-half showing has to be the blueprint now, although having ended the game as Celtic’s man through the middle, is Daizen Maeda really the answer at centre-forward?

Maeda’s performance in numbers vs Rangers

It is rather damning of the club’s recruitment that once again the Hoops resorted to utilising Maeda as a makeshift striker, with Junior Adamu hooked at the break, Tomas Cvancara not even making it off the bench and Kelechi Iheanacho absent from the matchday squad.

The Japanese winger had endured a miserable first half of his own at Ibrox, memorably firing in a wayward cross from the left that comfortably evaded the likes of Adamu in the centre.

There were signs of life after moving centrally, having produced the header that led to Dujon Sterling’s late handball, although Maeda still looked a shadow of the player who had previously lit up this fixture in years gone by, registering just 25 touches in all on the day.

That lack of impact also saw the 28-year-old lose the ball eight times, fail to register a single key pass and record just a 69% pass accuracy rate, having dipped even lower with a 40% pass rate in Thursday’s trip to Stuttgart.

Perhaps Sunday’s second half did show there are still signs of life regarding Maeda and his compatriot, Hatate, although this is not the player who hit 33 goals last term, having previously switched comfortably between operating on the left flank and through the centre.

Still with only seven Premiership goals to his name this season, having only scored once since O’Neill replaced Nancy back in January, the former Yokohama man is no longer the certain starter that he once was.

Indeed, Celtic’s most reliable attacking threat appears to be coming from a different source.

£3m Celtic star is looking like the player Maeda used to be

While last season’s free-scoring brilliance may have been something of an anomaly, what had also been a feature of Maeda’s game even before then was his remarkable work ethic, having been dubbed a “one-man closing down machine” by Chris Sutton back in 2022.

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The pundit wasn’t impressed.

That quality has been seen far less frequently in more recent times, however, with the trip to Ibrox seeing Maeda record just a solitary ball recovery, while winning only three of his eight attempted duels.

With just four goals in 20 games across O’Neill’s two spells, Maeda doesn’t appear to be thriving under the current regime, having arguably been usurped by Yang Hyun-jun on the opposite flank.

Although the South Korean has hardly been prolific himself, scoring just four league goals all season, he is offering the injection of energy and relentlessness that was once Maeda’s key strength.

Indeed, against Stuttgart at Parkhead, Yang sparked the hosts into life in the second-half off the bench, having again been a real livewire against Rangers at the weekend.

Arguably the brightest spark of the first half, the 23-year-old is now a real outlet down that right flank, having also twice shown his Maeda-esque powers of recovery after sliding in to regain possession with two perfectly timed challenges.

There’s no denying his end product needs to improve, with just 23 goals and assists in 99 games for the club, although he has turned it on at key moments in 2025/26, be it his stunning opener in the previous derby meeting, or the second in the 2-2 draw with leaders Hearts in January.

Like an early version of Maeda, who faced criticism for his own questionable end product, Yang might be a talent to persist with, with his failed £3m sale to Birmingham City potentially set to prove a sliding doors moment.

Then-boss Brendan Rodgers appeared willing to sanction that sale last summer, although the Blues ultimately backed away, having not been keen to wait around for Celtic and Rodgers to acquire a replacement.

That appears a blessing in disguise considering the lack options, James Forrest aside, on that right flank, and while Yang certainly isn’t perfect, he appears to be offering more than the likes of Maeda right now, both in and out of possession.

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