By Mark Atkinson

Copyright scotsman

Celtic forward Daizen Maeda has been backed to put a “challenging summer” behind him and get back to the form that earned him the title of Scotland’s player of the year. Japanese forward Maeda admitted during the international break he had hoped to leave before the transfer deadline – but a proposed move was blocked because the club were unable to source adequate replacements. English Premier League side Brentford were one of a clutch of clubs interested in the 27-year-old. Maeda only scored once in the first seven games of the season and missed Celtic’s best chances in each of the goalless legs of their Champions League play-off defeat by Kairat Almaty, but he was back on target in Celtic’s 2-1 win at Kilmarnock on Sunday, netting with a diving header before grabbing the badge of his shirt and celebrating in passionate fashion in front of the Hoops supporters. And his manager Brendan Rodgers believes that can be the catalyst for Maeda to rediscover his peak level for Celtic, with a slew of matches both domestically and in the Europa League on the horizon. “I think it’s been a real, challenging summer for him,” Rodgers said of Maeda. “Maybe he felt naturally that his future was going to be elsewhere. “But I think we can all see from that personality and that humility he has that it probably won’t take him long to get back to play how everyone knows him: playing 150 per cent, working, pressing, and always being there for the goal. “He’s such a great guy. Whatever the summer brought, it’s gone now, and for him now it’s just about doing the very best he possibly can.” Maeda and his team-mates turn their attention to continuing the defence of the Premier Sports Cup when they take on Partick Thistle at Firhill on Sunday – and Rodgers is delighted to be heading back to Maryhill to face Mark Wilson’s side, who sit third in the Championship. “I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “I have actually missed Partick Thistle. I used to enjoy going there for games when I was here the first time. I don’t know whether it’s because I live close by to it or not, but it just felt a real, traditional football stadium, and with the history of Partick up here in Scotland. So I have missed it. “I went there towards the end of last season for one of the finals with the B team. That was my first time there for a few years. So I am really looking forward to going back. Mark will have his team well organised and they will be very, very hard to beat, so the onus is on us.”