Former Celtic striker Harald Brattback has offered some words of wisdom for Celtic’s new winger Yang Hyun-jun.
The South Korean officially joined the Scottish Champions this week and will look to make his mark over the coming season.
However, Yang did cause a bit of a stir last week when he already revealed he’s looking to play in the English Premier League. It should come as no surprise to any Celtic fan that a young player coming to Scotland ultimately has aspirations of moving to a better league.
However, it is jarring for some of the support to hear a player who hasn’t kicked a ball for the club yet say it out loud. As cited by Football Scotland Yang said before signing: “My goal is to go to the English Premier League, but I think I can do that only if I become the best player in the Scottish Premiership.”
The bhoy has lofty ambitions, and you have to admire that. It’s up to him to show his promise and get to where he wants to go. Ultimately, it benefits Celtic on the field and eventually financially if Yang does the business.
However, Harold Brattback believes the player should be internalising his ambition and getting on with what’s in front of him.
Speaking to Boyle Sports, the former Celtic title winner said: “This is a classic example of perhaps not having the right people around you; I understand what he thinks, but sometimes what you think is not what you should be saying. The supporters are the ones who come to see you every week, it’s wise to leave things unsaid.
“If he wants to use Celtic as a stepping stone, then that’s fine, but you don’t need to say that. He just needs to show everyone his mind is with Celtic. Clubs like Celtic need to be getting these players when they are young and full of potential, because it is a smart business model to take. For the player, the motivation is to play as high as possible and the clubs should look at player development as a business case.
“Celtic should look at every young player as a business case and the players should have good enough advisors to tell them what to say at the right times. I just hope Brendan can put a good team together and do well in Europe, because that is the way they can keep producing strong players and be financially viable.”
We can’t argue with what Harald has said. Celtic are not the final destination for any young player, but the club have positioned itself as a very attractive place to come and play football, develop and ultimately move on.
We look forward to seeing what Yang can do, Brendan Rodgers loves exciting wingers, can he prove his worth to the Irishman?
