Speaking after his goalscoring debut, Maeda said: “I’m very happy to score and contribute to the team. I’m looking forward to the next few games and contributing more.

“I was nervous before the game but I thought I could score a goal and I’m very happy to be here. I usually don’t get nervous but fortunately I could convert that feeling into good energy.

'Before the game, I decided I would score a goal. I received a good pass from my team-mate and I just finished.'

“I have to score a lot of goals. If not, the team can’t reach to become champions and I want to be a player who can lead Celtic.”

Ange Postecoglou's side kicked off 2022 with a 2-0 win over Hibernian in front of a packed Pardise, with Josip Juranovic converting a penalty to add to Maeda's opening goal. And getting his first experience of Celtic Park exceeded the Japanese striker's expectations.

Now with the first game done, the former Yokohama F. Marinos player will continue to improve to ensure he can keep pushing the team forward.

Working with the manager previously in Japan is something that is of benefit to Maeda, but he believes that alone doesn’t guarantee his success as a Celt.

“If we want to be champions, we have to be a good team and we have to keep scoring, no matter who plays,” he said.

“I know the manager but that doesn’t mean I can always be playing. There’s competition inside the team and in training. I have to show my quality, but I know his style very well and I know we can play much better.

'I’m a player with heart. I want to show how I fight against the other team to all the fans.'

“All my team-mates have impressed me and we’ve had good training sessions.

“Now, if we can continue to play together on more occasions then we can play much better than we are now.”

Daizen Maeda: I was determined to score debut goal at Celtic Park