Japan national team hero Marcus Tanaka has slated the decision to leave Kyogo Furuhashi out of the international set-up for upcoming matches against Uruguay and Colombia.

The Celtic striker has been in top form for his club this term and he is the top goal scorer in the country as Ange Postecoglou's side hunt down a treble.

But the aforementioned form was not enough to land an international place as Kyogo and teammate Reo Hatate were both left out of Hajime Moriyasu's squad.

Tanaka believes the decision was wrong. He said: “It’s unfair. Kyogo is producing results and has to be chosen. Daizen Maeda does his best, but Kyogo is on a higher level.

“The Japan coach said that he watches all Celtic’s games. Was the video cut for Kyogo? It’s a contradiction. He is watching him, but he didn't choose him. What does it mean when he does not pick the most active player at Celtic?

“Takuma Asano is in the squad and he can’t compare to him. The Japan coach definitely has his favourite players — his likes and his dislikes. There are levels as players and, above all, it’s about ability.

“It is the manager’s job to select players of high ability and make them play an active role.”

Explaining the call earlier this week, Moriyasu said: "I've watched all of Celtic's games and seen what they've accomplished and their presence in the team. But there's no bar to clear to be called up; it's a comprehensive decision.

"We think about the level of the league and various other factors when making the decision. For this squad we focused on the squad from Qatar as well as some new players. There will be other call-ups. As I said, we're trying to build strongest team possible ahead of 2026.

"In order to do that we're taking a wide view of how to build the team... as I think we all agree, (Reo & Kyogo) would absolutely be able to contribute to the team, but this time I wanted to try out some different players and that's why they weren't selected."