Bristol City head coach Liam Manning has shared some of the fine details used to help new signing Yu Hirakawa adapt to life in the Championshiop this season.
The Japanese international arrived at Ashton Gate on a season-long loan from J League team Machida Zelvia in July. It was Hirakawa’s first move abroad in his football career, having only played in Japan before he joined Bristol City for the 2024/25 campaign, as recorded by Transfermarkt.
The 23-year-old has been slowly introduced by Manning and his coaching staff. Hirakawa missed the first three Championship matches of the season following injury whilst on international duty with Japan under-23s at the Olympics.
However, the Japanese forward has been given gradual opportunities in the first team since returning to fitness. His Bristol City debut came during the 3-0 loss at Derby, where he was subbed on for the final 10 minutes.
Since then, the forward has seen increased game time before making his full debut in the 1-1 draw at Swansea on Sunday. Hirakawa started behind Sinclair Armstrong and had flashes of attacking quality, attempting two shots, per Whoscored, and occasionally running at the Swansea backline.
There’s a growing sense of enthusiasm towards Hirakawa amongst the Bristol City faithful to see what the talented forward can achieve. However, while things look positive on the pitch, Manning admitted that trying to settle the 23-year-old into the squad has had its challenges, including the language barrier.
In an interview with the Bristol Post, the Robins’ head coach shared how support from Japan has helped with the communication of football messages to Hirakawa in recent weeks.
“We had a call with a guy in the J League to get some football language translated trying to accelerate certain bits so if we’re shouting certain things and common language that we use he’ll learn those a little bit quicker than some of the other English. He’s great to work with, despite the language he’s got a great personality and the group has been brilliant with him.”
The 39-year-old coach also urged fans to be patient with Hirakawa and explained that the young player’s development and involvement with the squad remain a work in progress.
“It’ll take time. Just because he’s done well at the weekend doesn’t mean we’ve cracked it, he’s cracked it and it’ll look like that every game – we’ve been quite clear on that. There’ll be some bumps along the way as I’m sure adjusting to what it looks like Sunday – Wednesday – Sunday.”
Writer’s View
Hirakawa has plenty of potential, showcased by his seven-goal contributions for Machida Zelvia before joining Bristol City in the summer. In his short cameo appearances so far this season, Hirakawa seems like an incredibly forward-thinking player with an eye for creativity and unlock defences.
It is still early days and Manning’s assessment perhaps shows there is plenty of work to be done to unleash the Japanese forward’s true potential However, the Robins’ head coach is clearly determined to lean on support networks and find new ways to communicate with his new signing. If these tactics can help Hirakawa pick up important instructions quicker, then it could be a win-win for the player and the club.
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