Yang Hyun-jun's Impact at Celtic: A Season-Defining Decision
Yang Hyun-jun spent January with one foot out the door. Now Celtic can barely imagine a week without him.
The South Korean winger looked destined for Birmingham City at the turn of the year, a tidy profit waiting to be banked as Celtic reshaped under returning manager Martin O'Neill. The move never happened. Celtic kept him. And that decision is starting to look like one of the pivotal calls of their season.
Yang finished last term driving the champions over the line, chipping in with crucial goals as a league and cup double was secured. He signed new terms in the summer, a clear signal from both player and club that this was no longer a short-term stop but a project worth committing to.
He has picked up exactly where he left off.
On Saturday night in Paisley, with Celtic pushed hard by a stubborn St Mirren side, Yang again provided the difference. His winner sealed a 2-1 victory, his second goal in four days after he had opened his account for the season in the midweek win over Aberdeen. Same sharp movement, same composure, same sense of timing in the penalty area.
No wonder Callum McGregor sounded a touch conflicted as he spoke after the final whistle.
"He is a really important part of the team," the captain told Sky Sports. "He's a big player to miss, but obviously we wish him the best."
The reason for that looming absence is out of Celtic’s control. Yang now heads off to represent South Korea at the Asian Games in Japan, a commitment that will rule him out of Celtic’s next four matches. On current form, that is a sizeable hole to plug.
The numbers back up the feeling. This season, Yang already has two goals and one assist from seven appearances, his influence on the ball and his direct running growing with each outing. Last season he hit double figures with 10 goals and added three assists; those are not squad-player returns, they are starter’s numbers.
He has also become central to the way O'Neill wants this Celtic team to attack. Width is non-negotiable in the current set-up, and Yang’s ability to stretch the game on the left, drive at full-backs and arrive in scoring positions makes him the natural pick in that role. If he were staying in Glasgow, his name would be inked on the team sheet.
Instead, Celtic must navigate a demanding run without him.
While Yang battles Qatar and Saudi Arabia with his national team later this month, his club face a sequence that could shape their early-season narrative: a trip to St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership, a high-stakes League Cup quarter-final away to Rangers, a Europa League home tie against Ferencvaros, and then an Old Firm league derby at Celtic Park.
Four games, three competitions, two meetings with Rangers – and no Yang Hyun-jun.
For a player who almost slipped quietly out of the back door in January, that is quite a measure of how indispensable he has become. The question now is simple: can Celtic maintain their width, their threat, and their edge without the winger who has turned a near-miss transfer into a central role in their title defence?
