Yang Hyun-jun: From Celtic Outcast to Key Player
Yang Hyun-jun spent January with one foot out the Celtic door. Now, they can barely imagine a starting XI without him.
Back then, Birmingham City looked his next destination and his time in Glasgow seemed to be slipping away. Instead, the winger stayed put, Martin O'Neill walked back into the club for a second spell, and Yang turned himself into one of the defining figures of a double-winning season.
He has carried that surge straight into the new campaign.
From almost out the door to undroppable
The 24-year-old signed fresh terms in the summer, a move that felt inevitable after his impact in the run-in. He ended last season with 10 goals and three assists, numbers that only told part of the story. His direct running, his willingness to take on full-backs, his timing in big moments – all of it pushed him from squad player to first name on the teamsheet.
This season, he has simply picked up the thread.
- Seven games.
- Two goals.
- One assist.
The output is there, but it is the sense of threat he carries that has changed Celtic’s attacking shape. Width is no longer a luxury in O'Neill’s system; it is the framework. Yang stretches games, pins defenders, and leaves space for others to work in the half-spaces. On current form, he would be the automatic choice off the left.
Then came Paisley.
A winner that underlined his worth
On Saturday evening at St Mirren, Yang delivered again. His decisive strike in the 2-1 win was his second goal in four days, coming hot on the heels of his first of the season in the midweek victory over Aberdeen.
Different opponents, same outcome: Yang changing the game.
Callum McGregor did not bother dressing it up after the final whistle.
"He is a really important part of the team," the Celtic captain told Sky Sports. "He's a big player to miss, but obviously we wish him the best."
That last line carried the sting. Because just as Yang has hit stride, Celtic are about to lose him.
A crucial absence at the worst possible time
Yang now heads off to the Asian Games, where South Korea will face Qatar and Saudi Arabia in Japan later this month. His involvement means he will miss Celtic’s next four matches, a run that could shape the tone of their season.
The schedule is unforgiving.
- First, a Scottish Premiership trip to St Johnstone.
- Then a League Cup quarter-final away to Rangers, a tie that always comes with its own gravity.
- After that, a Europa League home clash with Ferencvaros, followed by a league Old Firm derby back at Celtic Park.
Four games. Two domestic fronts. One European night. No Yang.
For a player who was almost surplus to requirements at the turn of the year, that is quite the measure of his rise. Celtic have learned how dangerous he can be when he hugs the touchline and drives at defenders; now they are about to discover how much they rely on that threat when it disappears.
He left in January only in theory. This time, the absence is real. How Celtic cope without him in this defining stretch will say plenty about where their season is truly headed.
