What South Korea boss has said is great news for Celtic
Celtic star Yang Hyun-jun was a surprise 'MVP' according to his South Korea under-23s manager despite playing only once during his side's Asian Games title win.
Yang was selected as one of the three overage wildcard picks for the Asian Games, which ended up being won for the fourth straight time by South Korea. In winning the competition, the squad secured military service exemption, which is a particularly motivating factor.
Yang was hoping to play a major part in Japan, given he went into the competition in superb form at Celtic, but a hamstring injury plagued his participation, and he could only manage one outing.
Yang was on the bench for the semi-finals and final, but manager Lee Min-sung promised not to risk players who had question marks over their fitness, making it clear that he was only borrowing players from clubs, and that he did not want to risk them.
The added context to that is that players selected did not just miss the three weeks of action while club football is on pause, but they also missed around two weeks of action before that, due to the length of the tournament.
But while Yang has admitted he feels bad for not being out there to help his young teammates, his manager has named him as a surprise MVP for the competition.
“Everyone has been great but if I had to pick one player, it would have to be Yang Hyun-jun,” Lee told Yonhap News Agency when asked about his MVP.
Although he only played in one match here, he sacrificed himself so much behind the scenes. I think it helped the guys on the pitch a great deal.”
That's a fine display of leadership from Yang, who could have dropped his head when struggling with injury. That's good to see, and Celtic will be hoping he will return fully fit having not been risked. Yang went off to international duty as one of the Bhoys' most in-form and dangerous players, and getting him back in that sort of form would be a huge boost as Martin O'Neill's men look to get back to their best.
Today's best reads
South Korea U-23s boss explains his big Celtic favour with Yang Hyun-jun decision
Mixed news for Celtic as Yang Hyun-jun wins Asian Games title
Celtic handed injury boost during international break
Another Celtic star confirms injury during international duty amid Haissem Hassan concerns
Celtic international break week 1 roundup: Yang has more than gold at stake
