Maeda only joined the Hoops in January from Japanese outfit Yokohoma F. Marinos, but has been able to quickly establish himself as a regular under boss Ange Postecoglou.
The Japan international made his eighth league start on the trot for Celtic on Sunday in their 2-1 win against Rangers in a crunch clash, helping them go six points clear at the top.
Celtic legend Sutton is impressed with Maeda’s display and hailed him for the unbelievable running power he maintained throughout the 90 minutes on the pitch.
Sutton stressed that Maeda put on a high level performances at Ibrox, putting pressure on the Rangers’ backline while tracking back at times and helping out his own team in defence.
“I could scarcely believe his running power”, Sutton wrote in his Daily Record column.
“Everyone knows he brings energy to the team, but that was next level stuff.
“Maeda worked the Rangers backline in terms of through passes and trying to get in goal.
“He worked his way back down the pitch to help out in various areas and he was still running around in the final seconds.
“Not giving defenders peace or space to look up and pick passes and keep pressure on.
“It’s rare you see someone get through that amount of work in a single game.”
Celtic will be determined to extend their winning streak to five games at the weekend when they host St Johnstone in the league, as they close in on the Scottish crown.
