Edouard replacement already at Celtic as pundit's 'blown away'
Alan Hutton has claimed Kyogo Furuhashi could fill the void should Odsonne Edouard leave Celtic this summer.
The former Rangers star, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, admitted he was "blown away" by the Japan international's performance versus Dundee.
The 26-year-old scored a hat-trick in what was his first start for Celtic to help sink the Dark Blues 6-0.
He was chosen to lead the line ahead of Edouard, who came off the bench to score a penalty.
As revealed by Football Insider (August 9th), Brighton are still in talks to sign the Frenchman after opening discussions earlier this month.
Hutton admitted Celtic would still look to sign a more traditional centre-forward should Edouard leave.
However, he suggested Furuhashi could take his place if they could not get a new signing over the line.
"I need to give a special mention for Furuhashi," Hutton told Football Insider's Russell Edge.
"They've found an absolute gem there, if I'm honest.
"I've been blown away, actually, by him. A player I didn't know much about but watching him playing that number nine position...
"Yes, they'll want to bring someone but wow, if they didn't manage to, that boy could be the diamond in the rough that they're looking for.
"He's not a big six-foot striker you're going to hit the ball up to but with his skill set, you don't have to."
Furuhashi netted 15 goals in 21 J1 League appearances during the 2020/21 campaign before moving to Celtic.
He has also scored three times in six games for Japan.