“It’s always nice in pre-season to have that mentality to not concede and in each game, we’re progressing which is great.

“I said to them at the beginning of the season that you can never underestimate what heart gives you and as a team and an individual player you need to have heart.

“That’s something that I can’t give them and they have to have that within and we saw that in the second-half.

“At times the ball was coming into the box and Liam Scales and Bosun Lawal were making blocks, defending, and for some, it’s not their natural game but you have to do it.

'I was really pleased with that aspect where you have to defend because when you go away from home you don’t have it all your own way.'

"You have to deal with it and we did deal with it well.”

Two tough games against the teams from the J. League have set the team up perfectly for the start of the league campaign in two weeks against Ross County at Celtic Park.

But also important from the trip has been the connection made with the fans in Japan, something the manager is pleased to have witnessed and hopes will continue to grow from strength to strength.

He added: “20–odd years ago you would never have anticipated coming over to Japan and seeing so many shirts.

“Coming out here, it’s an amazing country with a huge population but to see so many Celtic supporters is incredible.

“I know some have travelled but you also see the locals and our Japanese players have created an interest.

'That’s what you want, to take the club all around the world and it’s the type of club that Celtic is, it’s a wonderful institution and the fan base is only growing.'

“It’s been a great trip and we still have a couple of days to go and we have more hard work to do before we get back and I think the cooler temperatures will help speed up the intensity. But overall, it’s been a great trip.”

The next time Celtic will be out in action will be next Saturday, when the Bhoys return to Ireland to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers in Dublin.

There’s plenty of excitement about the Hoops’ returning over the Irish Sea, not just with the fans, but also with Brendan Rodgers himself.

Speaking about the game, he said: “Having worked against Wolves in the last few years in the Premier League I know how good their squad is with a top-class manager.

“For us going back to Ireland is special and to be in Dublin is great. We will get back home hopefully safe and get ourselves over there and it’s a great game for us.”

Manager: We end a positive trip to Japan in a very positive way