As a player he made himself a modern day icon at Celtic, but could Shunsuke Nakamura return one day in a coaching role?

Whilst fellow countrymen Kyogo Furuhashi, Dazen Maeda and Reo Hatate have made themselves fixtures in Brendan Rodgers' side, it's almost 20 years since dead ball maestro Nakamura made history as the Hoops' first Japanese player - and became as much of a hero in Glasgow's East End as he is in his homeland. After hanging up his boots at the age of 44, Nakamura now works as a coach at Yokohama FC - but was in Italy this month learning more about European coaching methods with Serie A side Parma.

He spent a fortnight with the Italian club and manager Fabio Pecchia, with a Parma statement reading: "It wasn't simply a refresher course for Nakamura, but a chance to deeply understand the way of work in Europe and to learn some precious tips to apply in his future coaching career," hinting that the 98 time capped ace could be targeting a move back into European football in the future.

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Nakamura himself told Parma's website: "Pecchia knows Japanese football well, having coached Avispa Fukuoka. During my time at Collecchio, be it with him or the technical staff, there have been constant discussions to understand the training methods, the tactics, strategies, types of training and the entire Parma organisation. I'd like to thank the club, and above all Pecchia, who has always been available. I posed him a lot of questions and he's always come back with the answers I wanted. This has helped me a lot to understand. I won't forget this."

The club's statement continued: "Another reason for Nakamura choosing to spend his refresher period at the Mutti Training Centre in Collechio to watch Parma closely was to understand the secrets behind the work of the head coach. Nakamura has observed every details of the activities that Pecchia and his staff have put the team through, with particular attention being paid to the way in which the training sessions are led and the tactical approach of the team. However, he is not just limited to watching. The ex-midfielder has been discussing different topics everyday with both Pecchia and his staff."

Signed by Gordon Strachan from Reggina for £2.5m in 2005, Nakamura quickly became a favourite at Parkhead - most memorably scoring a trademark free-kick winner against Manchester United in the 2006 Champions League. After leaving Glasgow he spent a season with Espanyol in La Liga before stints with Yokohama F. Marinos, Jubilo Iwata and Yokohama FC in Japan.