Celtic Stand Firm Despite South Korea Boss’ Yang Plea

There was an air of uncertainty a few weeks ago that Celtic winger Yang could miss some of Celtic’s crucial Premiership run-in.

The South Korean was well within contention to be picked to play for his nation at the under-23 Asian Cup in Qatar this month, which also doubles up as qualifiers for the upcoming Paris Olympics.

Yang, however, didn’t go, and Celtic ensured he stayed at the club in a critical part of the campaign.

The manager of South Korea’s under-23s, Hwang Seon-hong, was hugely disappointed at this, admitting that he Travelled across Europe to plea that his players be released from their clubs.

He said: [Glasgow Times] “Unfortunately, as you can see, I was not successful.

“It is disappointing and an unfortunate situation.

“It is now difficult because the replacement players are joining up in Qatar a little late, but this is also a task that must be overcome.

“It’s an opportunity for the K-League players who have replaced the European-based ones to show what they can do.”

With Daizen Maeda confirmed to be out for the rest of the season, Yang will have a significant part to play between now and the end of May.

Although he didn’t particularly capture the imagination at the weekend against St. Mirren, the 21-year-old has shown flashes of his talent in 2023/24.

He still has a wealth of development to undergo before he is a starting winger for Celtic but at the age he is, there is still time yet.