AND just like that, a star is born. Celtic Park has a new hero, and his name is Kyogo Furuhashi.

Ok, it’s still early days for the Japanese striker, but if his performance against Dundee is a taster of things to come, then the Celtic support have every right to be excited about the potential star they have on their hands.

Comparisons to compatriot Shunsuke Nakamura were inevitable upon Furuhashi’s arrival in Glasgow, but as well as being a vastly different player, he showed here he is more than capable of making a name for himself on his own terms.

It wasn’t just that he scored a hat-trick, and realistically could have bagged five or six. It was his all-round game – the flicks, the feints, the movement and the work rate – that had the home support purring. He was a bundle of energy, pressing from the front, diving in front of Dundee clearances, and generally providing a stark contrast to the rather static performances of late from Odsonne Edouard.

Tom Rogic had got Celtic’s third goal, Tony Ralston an impressive fifth, and substitute Edouard dinked home a penalty as a late addendum to the Kyogo show. Ryan Christie’s outstanding contribution should also be noted. But there was only one name on the lips of the supporters as they danced into the Glasgow rain.

A protest against the board took place before the match, with a couple of hundred fans imploring them to back Ange Postecoglou with cash as they had backed the club by buying season tickets. The numbers may have been tempered by the monsoon conditions, or perhaps by the new-found optimism that was evident around Celtic Park after the invincible façade around Rangers cracked the day before at Tannadice.

The question was whether Celtic could respond to that slip-up by responding to their own opening day Premiership defeat to Hearts last week, and 25,000 expectant fans were here as normality took another step closer.

Postecoglou made three changes to the side who beat FK Jablonec in the Czech Republic on Thursday, with young Stephen Welsh regaining his place in the heart of the defence from Nir Bitton, Rogic coming into the midfield for Ismaila Soro and Ryan Christie replacing James Forrest on the left of the attack.

The game came just too early for new signing James McCarthy, but Joe Hart, Carl Starfelt and Furuhashi all made their home bows.

As for Dundee, they came to Celtic Park looking to build upon an encouraging opening day performance in the draw with St Mirren. Manager James McPake was keen to dismiss any talk about a link with the vacant MK Dons head coach role, and instead focus on masterminding a surprise result for the Dens Park side.

READ MORE: Detailed Celtic player ratings as Kyogo Furuhashi and Ryan Christie star in 6-0 win over Dundee

He was without Danny Mullen, and will be for some time after the forward picked up a serious ankle injury last week, so former Celt Cillian Sheridan led the line in a 4-5-1 set-up, with Shaun Byrne replacing the suspended Max Anderson in the midfield and Ryan Sweeney making his first league start in defence in place of Finlay Robertson.

Celtic were trying to play out from the back as is Postecoglou’s preference, but Dundee were pressing high and forcing one or two errors early on.

The home side started to find their rhythm though, and they should have gone ahead after a fine passing move led to Rogic and Furuhashi exchanging a delightful one-two in the box, only for the striker to somehow put the ball wide with only Adam Legzdins to beat from eight yards.

Furuhashi wasn’t deterred though, and he won the ball high up the pitch for Christie to eventually win a dangerous free-kick from Charlie Adam right on the edge of the area. It was Christie who sized it up, but curled just over the bar.

There was a sense that a goal was coming though, and it was no surprise that it was Furuhashi that got it.

A lovely dink over the top from David Turnbull sent Liel Abada scampering in down the right, the winger looked up and sent a first-time ball across the area where Furushashi had darted in front of his man to deftly flick the ball into the far corner.

It was soon two for the hosts, and two for the new darling of the Celtic support.

Brilliant play from Christie down the left saw him skip past Christie Elliot, and Furuhashi was on hand to slide home his low cross and send the home crowd wild.

The roof almost came off Celtic Park moments later as a scuffed shot from Abada found it’s way to Furuhashi at the back post, but he was denied his hat-trick by a decent save from Legzdins.

The only real issue to be settled in the second half was whether or not Furuhashi would indeed earn the match ball, though the result itself was put beyond any remaining doubt minutes after the restart.

Christie outmuscled Elliot all too easily under a high ball from Turnbull, got his head up and picked out the run of Rogic, who stroked the ball beyond Legzdins. Elliot was removed from the action for his own good moments later.

Furuhashi had faded from the game a little, but his big chance came when Celtic won the ball high up once more, and Rogic’s shot was blocked to him inside the area. He took a touch, but took too long, and skewed high and wide.

With Edouard poised at the side of the pitch, it looked as though his opportunity had gone, but there was still time for Christie to produce his third assist of the game with a brilliantly disguised no-look through-ball that found his forward running in behind, and this time Furuhashi made no mistake.

His delightful dink over Legzdins had Celtic Park in raptures, and as his number was held up moments later, the ovation was as deafening as the thunder overhead. Furuhashi has stormed onto the scene, and then some.

Ralston added another, the full back getting his second of the season with another impressively taken effort, dinking a Forrest cross up and reversing the ball back beyond the helpless Legzdins. But Celtic weren’t finished there.

Abada got in behind, Jordan Marshall hauled him down, the Dundee man was off and it was penalty. Edouard stroked it high into the net, and suddenly Celtic are starting to look a serious proposition once more.