Yang Hyun-jun's Impact on Celtic's Season

Yang Hyun-jun was almost gone before this Celtic season ever took shape.

In January, the winger stood close to the exit door, with Birmingham City ready to take him south. Instead, the move stalled, Martin O'Neill walked back into Celtic for a second spell, and Yang stayed put. That decision now looks like a turning point for both player and club.

Since then, the 24-year-old has quietly become one of the Scottish champions’ most important weapons.

On Saturday evening in Paisley, he underlined it again. With the game tight and tense against St Mirren, Yang produced the winner in a 2-1 victory, his second goal in four days after scoring in the midweek win over Aberdeen. The contribution felt decisive, but also familiar. This is what he does now.

No wonder he signed new terms in the summer. He finished last season in form, carried that rhythm straight into this campaign, and has not looked back.

The numbers tell part of the story. Two goals and an assist in seven games this season show a player no longer on the fringes, but one shaping matches. Last term, he hit double figures with 10 goals and added three assists. Those are not the stats of a squad player. They belong to someone trusted when it matters.

Callum McGregor certainly sees it that way. The Celtic captain did not hesitate when asked about Yang’s value after the win in Paisley.

"He is a really important part of the team," McGregor told Sky Sports. "He's a big player to miss, but obviously we wish him the best."

That last line carries the sting for Celtic. Just as Yang is catching fire, he disappears from the stage.

Yang will miss the next four Celtic matches while he joins South Korea for the Asian Games in Japan, where his country will face Qatar and Saudi Arabia later this month. For O'Neill, the timing is brutal.

Celtic’s System

Celtic’s system this season leans heavily on width. Wingers are not just there for balance; they stretch defences, open lanes for McGregor and the midfield, and create the angles that make this team tick. On current form, Yang would be the automatic pick on the left. Instead, O'Neill must improvise.

Upcoming Matches

The schedule offers no mercy. Celtic head to St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership, then walk straight into a League Cup quarter-final at Rangers. After that comes a home Europa League tie with Ferencvaros, followed by a league Old Firm derby at Celtic Park.

Four games, all with edge, all with consequences. Four games without a winger who has just started to look irresistible.

Yang nearly left in January as a footnote in someone else’s story. Now, as he boards a plane for international duty, the question hangs over Celtic’s season: how will the champions cope without the man they almost allowed to slip away?