We’re all going on a summer Holiday
Poor Naka. Spends 10 months of the year covering more ground than any other Celtic player, with Lee "The Weasel" Naylor being the only player more fouled than him and he doesn’t get any time off in the summer due to international duties in the Asian Cup.
From the official site
"WITH the Scottish champions now almost three weeks into their summer break there should have been plenty of time to reflect on the successes of last season.
But with his own campaign having reached a whirlwind conclusion with a Scottish Cup final victory, a series of Player of the Year award functions and a triumphant return to his homeland, Shunsuke Nakamura has admitted that he has hardly had time to gather his breath.
"Since returning to Japan there has been no free time," explained the Celtic midfielder. "To get to the Scottish Cup final towards the end of the season was also truly difficult because the year has been a very hard fight.
"It was a fight to win the league again and we had to be patient before we won it, but after controlling the Kilmarnock game we managed to win it.
"There were a lot of achievements for us and when you look back, it was a successful year.
"Usually you take in every win," he added, "but I’ve had no time to think about what the Kilmarnock game really meant.
"We had the cup final to think about and now I am back home, so it’s difficult to let it really sink in."
Nakamura will in fact only have a week in which to put his feet up and relax before he begins his preparations for this year’s Asian Cup.
The Japanese national side will face Qatar, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates in Group C of this year’s groundbreaking competition which, for the first time, will be hosted by four different nations – Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
The cup kicks-off on July 7 and runs until July 29 and Nakamura concluded: "I will take a week off before starting. I’ll forget about football and build up my body towards the Asian Cup.
"I want to join the national squad and be 100 per cent fit going into the first match.
"But now I’ll try to forget all about football and go out with my family and friends. I want to take them out and treat them to a nice meal."
No rest for the talented!
Yours in Celtic
Clydebuilt