GORDON STRACHAN is determined to unlock the mysteries of the Orient - and he wants Shunsuke Nakamura to provide the key.

The Celtic manager is understandably concerned that the Japanese star has picked up a hairline fracture of his left hand. But Strachan takes solace from the fact he has always marvelled at the condition, durability and ability of the little Hoops hero.

And he is banking on this to ensure Naka is fit to play on with the injury sustained in Sunday's win at Inverness.

In fact, so impressed has Strachan been by the nick of Naka that he has ordered the medical science staff at Parkhead to delve deep into his background and upbringing to discover what makes him 'Tic.

The hope is that, armed with this information, Celtic will be able to use it as a greenprint to help develop their players of the future.

And, with the new £10million academy at Lennoxtown due to kick into action this summer, discovering the secrets of 28-year-old Nakamura's success could not be better timed.

Not that Strachan expects to be able to provide a production line of Nakas. He appreciates - in every sense - that the little magician is a one-off. And he is just grateful he has this talent at his disposal as Celtic head into the most important month of their season.

Strachan explained: "I've told the fitness coaches and doctors at the club to go and ask Naka precisely what he has been doing since he was 10 years old in terms of preparation for games.

"I believe we can learn so much because Naka's durability is incredible. So, instead of them coming up with theories about what might help, I have told them to ask players like Naka who play a lot of games what they have been doing to enable them to do this."

Of course, Strachan is himself no stranger to prolonging a playing career, operating consistently at the very top level in England until he was 40.

But he knows this was achieved through graft - even more so than his special diet of bananas, porridge and seaweed - and he believes that is only part of the answer.

"Sure I played as long as I did, but that was just down to basic hard work on my part, running and things like that," said the man who is now paying the price and will require a hip replacement this summer.

Yet it is ironic Strachan should be discussing Nakamura's durability just when it was being confirmed he has suffered a fracture to a bone in his hand - a story exclusively broken in yesterday's SportTimes. But such freak knocks can happen to any player at any time and Naka expects to be able to play on, claiming: "It's only my hand."

It's another example of his positive attitude, a key part of a make-up honed from a very early age.

When he sits down with his Parkhead inquisitors, Nakamura will tell them he has dedicated his life to providing a fitness platform which allows his talents to be displayed.

As a kid growing up in Yokohama - where Naka now has his own David Beckham-style football academy - football training was such an integral part of his life that it became second nature.

Like so many Japanese children, he attended coaching classes before going to school each day and was back again after his classes ended.

Facilities were not perfect, but kids were so focused on developing their skills that this was never an issue with them. At the same time, eating and sleeping well came naturally.

All of which means that, though slight of build - something he is working tirelessly in the Parkhead gym to improve - Nakamura can more than hold his own in the rough and tumble of the Scottish game.

He is, in Strachan's eyes, the perfect role model for aspiring stars. And now kids at the club will be actively encouraged to follow in the maestro's footsteps, both on and off the park.

Strachan said: "You want to get kids to copy Naka as young as they can, and that's why we need to find out what he has been doing since he was 10."

Meticulous as he is about his homework, Strachan thought he knew all there was to know about Nakamura before bringing him to Parkhead. But even he has been taken aback by how many games Naka has played this season and how high his performance level has remained.

Strachan forecast that the men who played in last summer's World Cup Finals would suffer a dip in form mid-way through the campaign and may need to be rested.

But Naka's form and importance mean he is a first pick every week, and rarely has to be taken off early, as happened in his first season at the club. Strachan admitted: "I do feel sorry for him at times. But he is so big for us, particularly at set-pieces, that we can't leave him out.

"For example, if we had left him out or taken him off on Sunday at Inverness, we would not have had that delivery two minutes from time to set up the equalising goal.

"He just keeps going. Our performances are analysed using computer technology, and this shows he runs more than anyone in the team. People say he doesn't tackle much, though he was getting stuck in at Inverness.

"But he gets back into positions where it makes it difficult for the opposition to pass through you and he closes down, too.

"Our analysis shows he runs between 12.7 and 13 kilometres in a game. Against AC Milan, he did more running than anyone on the pitch. You can only do that if you have real fitness, and he has that because of the way he has lived since he was very young."