It has been confirmed that Celtic won’t be without Hyunjun Yang for much of April, despite being called up by the Korea FA for an upcoming tournament.
Yang was named in the South Korean squad for the AFC U23 Asian Cup in Qatar, which also serves as a qualifier for this summer’s Olympic games in Paris.
However, Celtic have informed the Koreans that they have declined to release the winger and he won’t be travelling with his compatriots to a training camp in Dubai this week.
This is within Celtic’s capabilities as the U23 tournament falls out with the FIFA international match calendar, meaning the Bhoys were not obligated to release him for duty.
South Korea have selected Incheon United winger Hong Si-hoo as Yang’s replacement, Yonhap News Agency reports.
Celtic make the right call on Hyunjun Yang
Brendan Rodgers will want all of his first-team players available for the remaining seven Scottish Premiership matches, as well as the climax of the Scottish Cup.
Yang is far from a guaranteed starter but will get plenty of minutes on the pitch off the bench in the second half of matches.
Celtic are in the midst of an incredibly tight title race. Having depth on the bench, as well as potential matchwinners, is crucial.
Yang showed in wins over Motherwell and Dundee back in February that he has the quality to shine against league opponents, notching an assist in each game.
Even if he contributes to just one more goal over the next two months, it will have been worth it to keep him in Scotland and involved in proceedings. Those are the fine margins at play here.