Chris Sutton has delivered a brutal assessment of Reo Hatate, claiming the midfielder is now “barely worth a place” in the Celtic squad as concerns grow over his form and attitude.
It was not long ago that Hatate was bossing games on the European stage and looked one of the first names on the team sheet.
At his peak, he was central to Celtic’s midfield, dictating tempo and producing big moments in big matches. The contrast with his current situation could hardly be sharper.
Under Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney, Hatate has found starts increasingly hard to come by. The preferred midfield balance has seen Benjamin Nygren and Arne Engels operating ahead of Callum McGregor, leaving Hatate reduced to cameos from the bench. When those chances have arrived, he has struggled to impose himself in the way he once did.
There may yet be an opening. With Engels sidelined and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain still building match fitness, Hatate could be handed more minutes in the coming weeks. Sutton, however, is far from convinced that will lead to a revival.
Speaking to RecordSport, the former Celtic striker questioned both Hatate’s form and his body language. “I’m less optimistic about Reo Hatate’s chances of staying in the side,” Sutton said. “He was poor for the penalty against Livingston and his form has taken a major dip in general.
“Hatate looks to me as if he’s in a strop, like he doesn’t want to be there. If he is, I can tell him that O’Neill simply won’t have it.
“He’ll be out of the team. O’Neill has no time for players skulking around. Hatate might think he should be elsewhere but he needs to realise prospective clubs will be scouting him right now.
“Will they be impressed with what they are seeing? Unlikely.
“It’s in Hatate’s interest to get the head down and help drive Celtic towards this title, otherwise there’s not going to be much of a stampede for his services.
“Like O’Neill said the other night, it wasn’t so long ago he was one of the best players in the country and worth his weight in gold. Right now, he’s barely worth a place in the squad.”
It is a stark warning. Talent has never been Hatate’s issue, but there is a growing sense that time is running out for the midfielder to rediscover his edge and convince O’Neill he still belongs at the heart of Celtic’s title push. It will hardly be a shock if the player leaves this summer.