Mizuno - I'm different from Nakamura but my aim is the same

Last updated : 20 March 2009 By Mikbhoy

"It's been a difficult last few weeks." said the young Japanese midfielder "I injured my hamstring for the reserves against Hearts and it meant I had to get some treatment. When you're injured, life is never easy. You always worry that other players will move ahead of you in the queue to get a game. At the same time as that is happening, you are desperate to get back out there and train, but you can't because of the injury. It's all frustrating, but you have to get on with it. I missed the cup final at the weekend and that was a disappointment, but I am always sad to miss out on any game whether it's for the reserves or first-team."

Koki wants more of this
- Mizuno against Rangers
The youngster should be back in full training with the first team squad any day now and he's determined to be ready and available should a first team berth come up for grabs. "You never know when a chance will come your way." he said. "It can come out of the blue, or sometimes you have to work very hard for it and be patient. Earlier in the season, I was on the bench for a while and then the manager started me in two games against Falkirk and Rangers. You just never know what can happen. At the moment, my sole aim is to make myself available for selection. I might have lost some sharpness with my injury, but hopefully I can get that back quickly."

"I just want to make myself available for selection." he added. "I want to do well in the reserves and show the manager that I am good enough to play in the side. "It takes a lot of hard work to get into the Celtic team. You can see the quality of the players in my position but I am focused on getting back into the manager's plans."

It's probably fair to say that most Celtic supporters outside of the Tokyo CSC never took much notice of Japanese football before Nakamura's arrival on these shores but now that they've been blown away by the genius of Naka can we expect more of the same from Koki? "I am nothing like Naka" said Mizuno. "I don't think we have anything in common at all. He is much better than me. Free kicks? I am not bad but Naka is incredible - one of the best in the world. We shouldn't be compared as players at all. My qualities are different from his."

"Naka is a player who can bring other players into the game with his passing and movement." continued Koki. "He can spot passes and control a game. I am different. He uses players with his vision while I am a player who gets used by others. I am at my best when people pick me out in dangerous areas. Naka is the man who can do that. He is a great football player."

The ruling that three young players have to be named in the squad for every SPL match has meant that sometimes manager Gordon Strachan has left Mizuno out for admin reasons rather than footballing ones but the midfielder is hoping to see a change to that law very soon. "I don't think the under-21 rule has helped me at all." he said. "The manager has said that, but at the moment it just means that I need to work even harder to get into the side. If the rule is changed it could help me. The more spaces there are in the squad the more chance there is of me playing in games.

Ultimately, though, the young midfielder aims to claim a first team shirt every week and making the under-21 ruling irrelevant in his case. "I'm not really thinking about rule changes just now though." he concluded. "I can't afford to think about rule changes. I am concentrating on just trying to get into the side and staying there. I want to be involved with the starting eleven, everyone does."