Kyogo Furuhashi has won praise for his Rennes debut in the 1-0 victory against Strasbourg – but not in the way you might expect.
The 30-year-old was included in the starting line-up after completing his £10million move from Celtic last week after Jota sealed his return to Glasgow going the other way and played the first 66 minutes, equalling an 18-year long record for the fewest touches by a player during a Ligue 1 game ( since Mathieu Robail during Lille-Valenciennes in April 2007) with just seven. Rennes went onto claim all three points right at the death through Ludovic Blas, easing their relegation fears in France’s top tier.
Kyogo was brought to the club by Jorge Sampaoli, but the Argentine coach has since lost his job, with former Newcastle defender Habib Beye taking over the reins. And the ex Parkhead favourite was applauded by his new manager for his work offf the ball despite not getting on the scoresheet.
Beye said: “He had an opportunity to shoot but you also have to look at the efforts the players make to cut off the opposition’s lines. He did everything we asked of him defensively, and we have to value that.
“It’s a new culture for him, a new kind of football, and I think he’s happy and smiling. Like Alidu Seidu, these are players who light up when they arrive at the training centre. You want to be contaminated by their energy, it’s the notion of pleasure that will allow us to work even harder.”
Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football.