Everything Daizen Maeda had to say after Celtic's defeat to Yokohama F. Marinos...

A hat-trick on your return, how does that feel?

Obviously, I used to play here so I was very excited to play against them. After I got the three goals it was a good performance and it was nice to show how I play with Celtic in front of the Marinos supporters. I was very pleased.

How excited were you to return to Japan and then perform so well?

I think a lot of people were looking for me to play well and I am glad I could show how I play with Celtic.

Can you try and put into words what it was like for you and Tomoki to receive the reception you did after you have been away for 18 months from Yokohama?

Amazing.

How great is it that Celtic have so many fans in Japan?

I think there were supporters from Glasgow as well as Japan. We were disappointed with the result but I could get the three goals and I am very pleased with the performance.

How do you feel physically going into the upcoming campaign?

I think personally I am in good condition but it is more important to be in good shape as a team. We now have a few weeks to prepare for the first league game of the season.

What do you expect the test to be like against Gamba Osaka?

It will be difficult, but hopefully we can get the win and leave with a great performance.

READ MORE: Celtic v Yokohama F. Marinos analysis as Maeda shines in defeat

Meanwhile, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has defended goalkeeper Joe Hart after he made a mistake for the opening goal in his side's 6-4 friendly defeat to Yokohama F. Marinos.

The back-and-forth fixture saw Daizen Maeda score a hat-trick against his old team but the Hoops were unable to stem the tide of the J1 League champions.

And while Rodgers was keen to praise Maeda after the match, he also came out in defence of his number one.

He said: "It's a period of the season where we're only a few weeks in and assessing where we're at. We could have been better for the first goal before it got to Joe Hart..."

"These players, their attitude and energy in everything that they do, on and off the pitch, is great.