Yang Hyun-jun's Impact Before Asian Games
Yang Hyun-jun left Paisley with the match ball in his sights and Celtic’s season very much in his hands – just as he prepares to disappear from it.
At the Marbill Coaches Stadium on 5 September, with the game stretched and the tension rising, the 24-year-old cut through St Mirren and the noise. In the 68th minute, Yang darted into position, took Camilo Duran’s terrific pass in his stride and buried his finish to make it 2-1. Clinical. Decisive. Season-shaping.
It was the winner, and it felt like a statement.
A parting gift from Celtic’s form winger
For Yang, it doubled as a farewell of sorts. Not permanent, but significant. This was his last club outing before joining up with the South Korea squad for the Asian Games, and he played like a man determined to leave a mark before boarding the plane.
He did exactly that. His performance against the Paisley side extended a blistering start to the new campaign, full of direct running, sharp touches and the kind of conviction in front of goal that separates a useful wide player from a genuine match winner.
That strike against St Mirren was his second goal in as many games, coming hot on the heels of his finish against Aberdeen at Celtic Park the previous Wednesday. Two games, two goals, and a sense that something has properly clicked.
Martin O’Neill will not be celebrating his form for long. He will be counting the fixtures Yang now misses.
A growing hole in O’Neill’s plans
Celtic must travel to Perth on Wednesday night without him for the meeting with St Johnstone. Then comes the Glasgow derby double header against Rangers. On top of that, the Europa League opener at home to Hungarian runners-up Ferencvaros looms, a night when Celtic will want a fast, authoritative start in Europe.
Yang will be nowhere near any of them.
For a player who, a year ago, might have slipped out of the starting XI without much noise, his absence now lands like a thud. O’Neill has turned him from fringe figure into key asset, and the sense of loss tells its own story about the transformation.
Celtic have options, but not like this.
Left flank locked down
Yang looks utterly at home on the left-hand side now. That suits O’Neill’s balance nicely, with Haissem Hassan offering pace and promise on the opposite flank. The Egyptian has shown he can handle the role on the right, even if the final product has yet to truly catch fire.
That will come. The tools are there. But at the moment, the finished article in front of goal is wearing No. 11 on the left and boarding a flight to represent his country.
Yang’s blend of trickery out wide and cold-blooded composure in the box has become one of Celtic’s most reliable weapons. He beats full-backs, yes, but he also finishes moves. That combination is rare enough that when you lose it, you feel it immediately.
And Celtic will feel it in Perth, in the derby, and under the European lights.
From near-sale to indispensable
The scale of his rise is stark. Around this time last year, Celtic were prepared to sell Yang to Birmingham City for around £3 million. The deal was close enough to be considered done business in some quarters, only to collapse amid the wider failings of the 2025 summer transfer window.
What looked like a misfire in recruitment strategy has turned into a stroke of fortune.
Kept at the club, Yang has fought his way into O’Neill’s plans and then refused to leave them. He has hardened his game, sharpened his decision-making and added the numbers that separate potential from value. It is now difficult to think of another recent Celtic player who has improved so dramatically in such a short space of time.
The contrast is stark: from almost being quietly moved on to the English Championship to being the player Celtic can least afford to lose in a crucial early-season run.
Big future, bigger decisions
If this trajectory continues under O’Neill, the conversation around Yang will change again by next summer. This time it will not be about whether he is worth £3 million. It will be about how far north of £25 million a serious bid might need to be before Celtic even think about picking up the phone.
For now, though, the equation is simpler. He is in form, he is central to the way Celtic attack, and he is about to vanish for a spell just as the season tightens.
The photos from Paisley tell their own story: Yang wheeling away in celebration, arms outstretched, teammates rushing to him, Liam Scales joining the embrace. A player who was once on the margins now stands at the heart of it all.
Celtic will have to find a way to cope without him over the next few weeks.
The smarter move for everyone else in green and white is just as clear: enjoy Yang Hyun-jun while he is still here, still theirs, and still rising.
