Daizen Maeda is on international duty once again after being named in Japan’s squad for upcoming fixtures against Scotland and England, with matches set to take place at Hampden and Wembley.
The Celtic forward has earned his place in Hajime Moriyasu’s latest squad for the Kirin World Challenge 2026 double-header, continuing to be a trusted option for his country.
However, there was no place for his Celtic teammate Reo Hatate.
Despite showing clear signs of returning to top form in recent weeks including an impressive performance against Rangers at Ibrox earlier this month , the midfielder has once again been overlooked.
Hatate has not featured for Japan in over a year and remains on 11 international caps, with Moriyasu seemingly still unconvinced by his recent progress.
Maeda joins a number of Japan internationals currently playing in Britain. Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, Leeds United’s Ao Tanaka, and Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada have all been included.
Since making his debut in 2019, Maeda has gone on to earn 26 caps for Japan, scoring four goals.
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