Yang Hyun-jun's Impact on Celtic's Season
Yang Hyun-jun was almost out the door in January. Now Celtic can hardly do without him.
Back then, a move to Birmingham City looked close. A fresh start in England, a quiet exit from Glasgow, and that might have been that. Instead, the winger stayed put, Martin O'Neill walked back through the door for a second spell, and Yang’s season caught fire.
He delivered when it mattered most. Goals in the run-in, big contributions as Celtic drove through the pressure and finished with a league and cup double. By the time the silverware was lifted, the idea of him being a fringe player felt outdated.
So when the 24-year-old signed new terms in the summer, nobody at Celtic Park blinked. It felt like a natural step for a player suddenly central to the champions’ plans. He has started this campaign exactly as he ended the last: direct, decisive, dangerous.
His latest intervention came in Paisley. Saturday evening, game in the balance at St Mirren, and Yang again found the finish that mattered. That winner was his second goal of the season, coming hot on the heels of his first in Wednesday’s victory over Aberdeen. Two games, two goals, and a clear reminder of what Celtic will be missing over the next few weeks.
Because now he’s gone. Temporarily, at least.
Yang will miss Celtic’s next four matches while on duty at the Asian Games. On current form, that absence cuts deep. The numbers back it up. Two goals and an assist in seven games this season underline his growing influence. Last term, he hit 10 goals and added three assists, a return that has given O’Neill a reliable threat from wide areas.
Inside the dressing room, there is no debate about his value.
“He is a really important part of the team,” captain Callum McGregor told Sky Sports after the 2-1 win over St Mirren. “He's a big player to miss, but obviously we wish him the best.”
Celtic’s structure this season leans heavily on width. The wingers stretch the pitch, pin full-backs, and open lanes for the midfield to pour through. In that system, Yang’s pace and willingness to attack his man make him an obvious starter on the left. If not for his international commitments, he would be the first name inked into that role.
Instead, he heads to Japan, where South Korea will face Qatar and Saudi Arabia later this month. It is a stage he has earned, but one that leaves O’Neill with a headache.
The schedule waiting for Celtic is unforgiving. A trip to St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership comes first. Then the stakes rise: a League Cup quarter-final away to Rangers, a Europa League home tie against Ferencvaros, and then an Old Firm league clash in Glasgow.
Four games, three competitions, one brutal stretch without one of their most in-form attackers.
Yang has already shown what Celtic almost lost in January. Over the next fortnight, the real question is what they can produce without him.
