Ex-Celtic player Charlie Nicholas says he would not be shocked if Kyogo Furuhashi plays in the Scottish League Cup final this weekend.

The Japanese international has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since the 3-2 win over Real Betis but manager Ange Postecoglou has suggested the forward could be back much sooner than expected. Nicholas believes there is a big chance that we’ll see the forward face Hibs on Sunday:

“I note that Ange has also refused to rule Furuhashi out of the cup final. I really wouldn’t be surprised if he was to be involved at Hampden.”

It would be a massive boost if Furuhashi is available for the Cup final, but there will be concerns that the Hoops are rushing him back to play in the fixture.

There are other important matches coming up in the next few weeks, such as the clash against Rangers on January 2nd, so a calculated decision will need to be made to ensure there is no recurrence of the hamstring issue.

Furuhashi is undoubtedly important in terms of Celtic’s ability to score, so if there is a chance of him playing, fans will be absolutely delighted.