Give me a break, Strachan tells Nakamura

Celtic boss Gordon Strachan says Japanese midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura can return to his homeland at the end of the season if he wishes – in the hope a holiday in the Land of the Rising Sun could be a perk of any deal.

Nakamura, 30, is thinking of going home after four years at Parkhead to raise his children there and has also been finding round-trips for internationals a strain.

The star is now believed to be mulling a possible return to his first club Yokohama Marinos.

“Naka’s never said he’s going back,” Strachan said.

“But if he said to me, ‘I want to go home to play in Japan and show everybody what I’ve learnt playing at Celtic and overseas’, we would just have to say, ‘Thank you very much, it’s been a great experience’ – and hopefully get a holiday in Tokyo out of it.”