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Fullname: Hyun-jun Yang
aka: Yang Hyun-jun (*see notes)
Born: 25 May 2002
Birthplace: Busan, South Korea
Signed: 16 July 2023 (from Gangwon FC, £2m)
Left: –
Position: Midfielder
Debut: Celtic 4-2 Ross County, SP, 5 Aug 2023
Squad No.: 13
Internationals: […]
International Caps: [TBC at end of career]
International Goals: [TBC at end of career]
Biog
Yang arrived at Celtic as another welcome project at the tail-end of what was a second wave of players from the Far East, after the success of the first wave under Postecoglou. However, he arrived as Postecoglou had sealed his second title and was moving on with the very different Brendan Rodgers coming in to replace him.
As a player, Yang was an average built young player who had some pace, and skill on the wing. Liked the ball at his feet and to try to take a man on. Not physically big, but was young and so could be worked on. As a recent young player of the season, he was a fair project to bring in, and was hoped to help bring something difference and some balance to the front line when attacking.
He got off to a flyer in only his second match, by setting up the winner v Aberdeen (3-1, Aug 2023) with some great footwork. It boded well, but some having been given an inch took a mile, by trying to ask if he could fill in the gap left behind by the popular & now departed Jota. It was never going to be.
Over his first season, he most often struggled to show his worth, and it wasn’t really until the 2-1 win v St Mirren in the league (Nov 2023), that he proved himself. He came on as a sub in what was up to his entrance to the game a poor performance. His work-rate, enthusiasm and dig was clear to all, and he helped push the side to a 2-1 win when Celtic were struggling to get over the line. Celtic had turned a downward point in the season round this point, partly due to injuries mounting as well as the managerial transition hitting a difficult stage.
Once Maeda was out for a period due to injury, Yang had the opportunity to step up and make a name for himself. He was excellent in a 6-0 win v Aberdeen in the league (Nov 2023), in which he scored the opener, surprisingly to all with a header.
Despite that, Yang still struggled. It all came badly unstuck in a 3-1 victory over St Johnstone (Dec 2023). In this match he was repeatedly frustrating everyone by being caught offside, and after Celtic went unexpectedly behind, Yang was pulled off at half time to then face heavy criticism across social media. In fairness it was a period in which Celtic were faltering badly, so his form wasn’t the only issue.
He did come to the fore and gained praised around end-February 2024 following a great performance in a tanking of Dundee at home in the league (7-1, Feb 2024), but these performances were too few. Too often it was his decision-marking and end-product that was going awry, and he was losing time to get more opportunities to learn from his mistakes and make up for them.
He wasn’t fully adapting physically to the challenge of the league, and he was blamed (in part) for the final goal conceded in a 3-3 draw v Sevco away (April 2024). He was poor on the day having come on as sub, and his confidence was likely hit as demonstrated by a comical miss at goal v St Mirren the following week. He then surprisingly started v Aberdeen in a Scottish Cup semi-final (Apr 2024) a tough exciting match won on penalties by Celtic, but he had a very poor game, with a support on edge criticising his inability on the day.
Rodgers clearly believed there was a player in Yang. A problem was that Celtic were in a very difficult situation with the league title victory paramount due to the automatic Champions League group spot with the financial rewards, but TheRangers were on Celtic’s coat-tails and even leap-frogged Celtic for the title at one point. However thankfully Celtic turned the corner in the final quarter of the season to win the legaue and Scottish Cup double but by this time Yang was mostly out relegated from the first team.
Matters turned frustrating, when the South Korea manager Hwang Seon-hong claimed Celtic went back on a “promise” to release winger Yang Hyun-jun for a key tournament after bitter repercussions began over their failure to reach their 10th Olympic football tournament in a row. Everyone just laughed and saw it as more as diversionary tactics from the Korean Manager’s failure, and did not hinder or cloud matters for Yang, but for a player who was still struggling at Celtic, it was an unwelcome diversion.
[….]
Quotes
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Playing Career
[Table to indicate clubs played for, including dates, transfers and fees where known [e.g. soccerbase table]]
| APPEARANCES (subs) |
LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 2023-24 | |||||
| Goals | |||||
| 2024-25 | |||||
| Goals | |||||
| Goals | |||||
| Goals | |||||
| Total | |||||
| Goals |
Honours with Celtic
(Honours are marked below in which the player has played in at least one of the matches in the campaign.)
Scottish League
- […]
Scottish Cup
- […]
Scottish League Cup
- […]
Pictures
Forums
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Links
Notes
- Hyun-jun is his first name but the convention for names in Far East Asia is putting the surname first, so you may see his name sometimes written in some articles as Yang Hyun-jun.
Articles
Celtic new signing confirmed as club post official farewell message to star
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/celtic-new-signing-confirmed-as-club-post-official-farewell-message-to-star-4219949
Celtic have completed the signing of winger Yang Hyun-Jun from Gangwon FC.
Matthew Elder
By Matthew Elder
Published 15th Jul 2023, 11:46 BST
The news was announced by the South Korean club in a social media post on Saturday morning. The 21-year-old becomes Celtic’s third summer signing since the return of Brendan Rodgers as manager for a second spell following the arrivals of Marco Tilio and Odin Thiago Holm.
Negotiations have been ongoing for a number of weeks between the two clubs with Gangwon keen to hold onto K-League’s Young Player of the Year until their season finished in November. But the persistence of both Celtic and the player has paid off with Yang set to join up with his new Parkhead team-mates in time for the pre-season trip to Japan next week.
A Gangwon statement read: “Yang Hyun-jun’s transfer to Celtic has been confirmed. There is a goodbye to Yang after today’s game, everyone please stay with us until the end.”
Gangwon FC have confirmed the transfer of winger Yang Hyun-jun to Celtic.
Gangwon FC have confirmed the transfer of winger Yang Hyun-jun to Celtic.
Yang, who was the subject of a transfer bid from Minnesota in the MLS last year, recently said: “It is an opportunity that does not come easily (to join Celtic). I told the CEO, general manager, and coach that I wanted to advance. Europe is said to be easier to adapt to in the summer. Of course, the team is in a difficult situation, but when an offer came from the United States last season, the goal was to go to Europe.
“So I didn’t go to America and stayed with the team. Also, if an offer comes from Europe, the club said they would actively help. Celtic is a good offer, so I want to go. I have to do my best as a member of Gangwon. But I think the desire to go will still be there.
“I want to go to Celtic this summer. I hope Gangwon will allow me to transfer. If the transfer fee isn’t enough, I’ll even give my salary.”
Yang will join South Korean countryman Oh Hyeon-gyu at Celtic after the striker completed a move from Suwon Bluewings in January while Celtic are also said to be closing in on a move for Busan I-Park midfielder Kwon Hyeok-kyu – a player described in his homeland as the Rodri of the K-League, in comparison to the Manchester City and Spain star.
How Celtic plan to realise Hyun-jun Yang potential – overcoming language barrier, Harry Kewell role, attitude factor
Celtic have high hopes for the South Korean winger who opened his account for the club on Sunday
Matthew Elder
By Matthew Elder
Published 14th Nov 2023, 22:30 GMT
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers insists the club are prepared to play the long-game with winger Hyun-jun Yang as they look to develop the South Korean youngster into a first-team star.
The 21-year-old arrived from K-League side Gangwon FC in the summer for a fee in the region of £2m and has shown flashes of ability in his 15 appearances for the Scottish champions thus far, culminatng in his first goal for the club with a headed opener in the 6-0 win over Aberdeen on Sunday.
While taking a big step up the footballing ladder, Yang arrived in Glasgow with plenty senior experience already under his belt with 71 appearances for his previous club yielding nine goals and five assists.
Add in a K-League Young Player of the Year award for 2022, on top of winning his first senior international cap under head coach Jurgen Klinsmann in September, and it is clear there is a player with significant potential to realise.
And that is why Celtic and Rodgers are doing everything they can to nurture his talent with layers of support on and off the pitch whether he is starting games or sitting on the bench, on the training pitch or in the classroom.
“They know that if they play and then not do so well, it’s about constant growth,” the Celtic boss explained. “Sometimes you’ll play, come off at half-time, be on the bench or maybe not even be involved. But it’s a constant process that never changes.
“He’ll sit with the coaches, me and talk around his game and acknowledge how hard he works. He’s come from a different culture, half-way across the world and it takes time.
“The players do their lessons and English classes, so eventually they’ll get the language. Like everything, it’s about what you put into it. If ever I need to have clarity and be really clear so they understand we bring in the translator so everything is understood.
“The club is great with that because these boys can be easily left to just come in and have nothing, just be expected to get on with it and learn English. But it’s not as easy as that so they have that support.”
Rodgers has retained the coaching staff employed under his predecessor Ange Postecoglou which has ensured that Yang, and the rest of the Celtic wide men, can learn the nuances of the position from a former English Premier League icon.
“The process is on the pitch, he’ll sit down with Harry Kewell to go through the positioning of the wingers,” Rodgers said, explaining the role of the former Liverpool, Leeds and Australia superstar on his backroom staff.
“Harry speaks to me about our structure and then it feeds back. That’s the process. On the pitches, the football is the language and it’s universal.
“The analysis and the feedback is constant, all the players get that – and we feed forward to them too because you need that in order to progress.
“That’s where you hopefully see the building taking place.”
Rodgers has high hopes for Yang based not only on his footballing ability but also the mindset he has displayed since his arrival at Celtic Park.
“As a young player we know he’s going to develop but you need the right attitude to do that. He has that and he’s doing that,” he added.
“Sometimes it takes time to understand the things that are asked of you and it’s up to us to find how best you fit into the structure.
“I thought he was excellent the other night [in Madrid], he gave us energy and penetration that we’d lacked in the game.
“He was very good with and without the ball.”