Forgotten Celtic star Yosuke Ideguchi goes viral as fans rave over incredible stat that trumps all his Hoops team-mates
YOSUKE IDEGUCHI struggled to make an impact in Scotland - but the midfielder has gone viral for his impressive displays in Japan.
The on-loan Celtic star has been wowing fans in his homeland after becoming a key player for Avispa Fukuoka in the J1 League in recent months.
Ideguchi, 27, joined the Japanese side in February but his spell was initially curtailed by an injury which saw him ruled out for three months.
The midfielder broke his ankle on his loan debut but he has since made up for lost time by becoming one of the league's star men this season.
And fans have been blown away by one key area of his play - his non-stop running.
Ideguchi has taken the crown for the most distance covered by a Avispa Fukuoka player in their last four matches.
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He has consistently ran more than 12km in those games and even broke the 13km barrier against Yokohama F. Marinos on Saturday.
His performance sparked a crazy reaction online, with hundreds of fans stunned by his insane stamina.
They took to social media to compare Ideguchi's stats to the distance they travel on a daily basis by car or public transport.
And it's fair to say he ran some distance at the weekend!
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Some have branded the midfielder a "demon" whilst others compared him to Japanese gaming sensation Sonic the Hedgehog.
One fan said: "The straight line distance from Nishi-Ogikubo to Kagurazaka is about 12 kilometers. It's pretty amazing."
Another wrote: "He ran from Akama station to Fukuma station in one match. Same as Sonic."
Someone else commented: "He ran from Ohori Park to Kasuga Park in one match."
A fourth hailed: "If you take a taxi, it will cost 6,900 yen for 13km! That's amazing. He's a demon."
Whilst a fifth said: "A man runs from the airport to Meinohama in 90 minutes."
It's an incredible total from the midfielder and it even sees him beat his Celtic team-mates in the running department.
The distance covered by players in the Scottish Premiership isn't released to the public, but their stats in the Champions League are there for everyone to see.
Captain Callum McGregor has played every minute of the Hoops European campaign this season and has covered an average of 12.03km during that time.
Matt O’Riley has registered an average of 11.48km from the three matches he's played whilst Reo Hatate has covered a total of 16.7km from the 147 minutes he's played - an average of 10.9km per 90.
Ideguchi clearly has the stamina to keep up with his Hoops team-mates, but he admitted this week that he may not get the chance to battle them for a first team place at Parkhead.
Speaking over the weekend, the midfielder confessed that he doesn't know if he has a future at Celtic.
He said: "At the moment I am only concentrating on trying to finish as high up the J-League table as I can with Avispa Fukuoka.
"I was happy to be offered the chance of games here at a time when I wasn't able to play any matches at Celtic and I had a strong desire to play.
"There weren't many clubs who wanted me, but they approached me, so I decided to go right away. It was an instant decision.
"As for next season, I don't know what's going to happen or whether I will still stay here.
"At the moment, there's no point in looking too far into the future.
"And that's why I will do everything I can for the team while I am here."
Ideguchi has the chance to win silverware next weekend with his side facing Urawa Red Diamonds in the J. League Cup final on Saturday.
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The midfielder lifted the trophy with Gamba Osaka back in 2014 and he will be aiming to get his hands on the cup again next week.
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