Former Celtic hero Kyogo Furuhashi revealed he failed in France because he found the league to be more physically tough than in Scotland.
The Japanese international moved to Birmingham City in the summer following a disastrous six months at Rennes.
Kyogo barely featured despite the Ligue 1 side forking out £10 million to land him and he was eventually sold to the English Championship side and made his league debut in a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town on Friday.
And, in an interview in his homeland, Kyogo admitted he struggled both with the physicality of the French league and with communication problems.
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He said: "I found the French league more physical than in Scotland with Celtic.
"The manager told me I had to adapt and find a way around it.
"But when I am frustrated in Japan, I have people I can talk to. In France, there was no one.
"I didn't have an interpreter like I was used to and that didn't help either. I studied French for six months, but I don't think I got anywhere with it.
"It's so important for me to be playing games now with the World Cup less than a year away. It will come around quickly."
