Celtic star Yang Hyun-Jun is in contention for one of international football’s biggest honours.
Yang scored his first goal of the new season on Wednesday night as Celtic secured a 3-0 win over Aberdeen.
The winger netted the third just before halftime as Martin O’Neill’s side maintained their perfect start to the Premiership season.
A trip to St Mirren this Saturday night will see the 24-year-old likely start once again, but he will be departing the country shortly after.
He was named as one of his nation’s overage players, but will miss some key upcoming Celtic fixtures. Those include St Johnstone away, the League Cup quarter-final clash at Ibrox, Ferencváros in the Europa League opener, and Rangers in the Premiership.
A blow for O’Neill, who will have to settle for life without a key attacking player for a short while.
For Yang, however, there is promising news. South Korea boss Lee Min-sung is considering handing the captain’s armband to the Hoops star for the Games in Japan.
Min-sung has revealed that Yang’s experience and performances have caught the eye.
He said (via The Herald): “Yang has shown great leadership qualities at Celtic and I have been watching his progress closely.
“He has improved both as a player and as a leader on the pitch.
“He is one of my three senior players in the squad, along with Lee Ki-hyuk and Um Ji-sung and they are the players I am relying on to show their experience at the tournament.”
Should South Korea win the Asian Games, Yang could earn military exemption. It is why the Hoops agreed to let him leave for a short period after a meeting with South Korean FA representatives.
Min-Sung also spoke of the decision behind choosing Yang over new Ibrox signing Minsu Kim, saying: “Yang Hyun-jun has strong one-on-one abilities on both flanks.
“I have been keeping a close eye on that aspect and selected him to utilise his abilities.”
The winger has started the season brightly, being deployed mainly on the left flank as opposed to his usual right. The Hoops have not added another left-winger to the squad during the summer window, and that doesn’t look likely to change.
Yang holds that spot, with Sebastian Tounekti as his backup. Jota will add another option once he returns from his long-term injury, but his match fitness will naturally take time.
We wish Yang well in his international endeavours, but in the meantime, all eyes are on St Mirren on Saturday night. The Buddies are second in the league table, two points behind Celtic. Although it’s very early days, they’ve started the season brightly and have yet to be beaten.
The fixture in Paisley is rarely straightforward, but Yang has delivered there before. More of the same this weekend, please!
Keep Reading
