Reo Hatate has broken his silence after suffering a major injury blow while on international duty.

The Celtic midfielder has been sidelined for up to six weeks after an issue with both of his calves.

Hatate, 26, had been called up with fellow Celtic star Daizen Maeda. However, his tournament took a turn for the worse as he limped off against Bahrain.

Japan were later knocked out of the tournament in the round of 16 as Iran pipped the Samurai Blue 2-1.

Now, Hatate has reflected on the tournament and his injury blow as he posted on Instagram: "I'm lacking in contributing to the team. Accept the reality and keep fighting.

"Thank you for supporting Asia Cup."

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On the major injury concern, Brendan Rodgers commented: “It looks like he has actually done both calves, from what I have seen, so he is probably going to be five to six weeks.

“Another part of this season where we have had no luck from an injury perspective to our top players. He will be back very soon and we will start treatment and get him back as soon as we can.”

Japan boss Hajime Moriyasu had said: "I want to hear the diagnosis from the doctor.

"However, it hurts both the players and the team when someone gets injured, but no matter who gets injured, we need to maintain the flow of the game and win. I think today's match gave me more confidence."