Celtic defender Hayato Inamura has admitted he wants more minutes during his loan spell in Japan, as he looks to return to Parkhead a more complete player.
The 23-year-old arrived from Albirex Niigata on a four-year deal last summer, with then-manager Brendan Rodgers hinting early on that a loan move could be on the cards.
In the end, Inamura remained in Glasgow until January but found opportunities hard to come by, making just one appearance — a 3-0 league win over Livingston back in August.
A mid-season return to Japan followed, with Inamura joining FC Tokyo on loan in the J League in search of regular football.
Since then, he has featured nine times and played his part in keeping the capital side in the title race, with only six matches left before his loan spell wraps up in June.
Even so, the young defender isn’t entirely satisfied with how things have gone.
Inamura said: “I want to play more here. I feel I have really grown as a player during this loan spell. But there are only six matches remaining and I don’t think I have played as many games as I want to help me get better.
“Yes, I am getting playing time, but I’m far from satisfied with my own performances. There are still many things I need to work on.
“But I believe we have a really good team here and there is a good atmosphere at the club.”
While he’s clearly taken positives from his time at FC Tokyo, there’s also a sense that Inamura sees this as unfinished business — a step in his development rather than the finished product.