New Celtic striker Daizen Maeda is being backed by a pair of former coaches to make a mammoth impact in Scottish football.
The 24-year-old has joined the Premiership title challengers on a six-month loan with an obligation to buy from Yokohama Marinos.
Maeda is reuniting with 'The Boss' Ange Postecoglou in Scotland, after the pair linked-up with great success in the J-League.
And Arthur Papas, who worked with the the Japan international at Yokohama, is convinced he is a footballing outlier.
Speaking to Keep Up, he said: 'It's like nothing I've seen. Daizen possesses athletic qualities far superior to most players at the professional level. 'His ability to repeatedly produce max speed efforts consistently would place him at the very echelon of the game, right up with the best athletes in world football.
"He suited the type of football Ange had instilled at Yokohama, being a high-intensity game with and without the ball. 'Then over the course of that time he refined his game technically in and around the box and became more and more prolific."
Those views are echoed by fellow Marinos assistant John Hutchinson, who believes Celtic have pulled of a transfer coup.
And he is convinced he will form a formidable one-two punch with compatriot Kyogo once they link up in Glasgow.
Speaking to the Scottish Sun, he said: “I have never seen a more physical player, in terms of speed and repeat sprinting, than Daizen.
“Daizen is a physical beast. You’d have no issues sending him anywhere in Europe because it won’t be a problem to him.
“He’s a machine. The improvement in him over the last season or so under Ange was incredible. He makes dangerous forward runs and scores goals.
“He will terrorise defenders in Scotland. If it clicks for him with Furuhashi up front, which I think it will, it will be frightening for the other teams.
“He’s different to Furuhashi in that he’s more all-action and powerful. We played him the majority of last season on the left wing, but when he gets in the box his first-time finishing is very good.
"He’s electrifying when he gets the ball at his feet and starts running. What he really improved on was his technical ability, getting the ball under pressure and making something happen.
“He will bring goals, one-touch finishes and energy to Celtic. He can create for other players, too.
“The majority of his work will be done inside the box. I think he only scored one for us from outside the penalty area. He’s a gentleman, a really great professional who trains so hard every day.
“His numbers when you analyse training and games are incredible and while that doesn’t automatically mean you can play football, in his case he’s got the complete package.”
