Oh Hyeon-gyu

He’s one of the players that despite not seeing much of him yet, you just know he’s got it. Looks confident, has a good touch, carries the ball well and was making good runs, positive stuff.

 

The big man against that hun defence

 

He's gonna be mine.

 

I'd like us to go two up top against them, if Kyogo's fit. They couldn't hold the lead against us when we switched formation. Some 60 minutes of them having to watch on both Kyogo and Hyeon-gyu would leave Huns decimated.

 

IT took Oh Hyeon-gyu just four brief appearances as a substitute, little over an hour of first team football, to score his first goal for Celtic.




John Hartson, Scott McDonald, Moussa Dembele and Giorgos Giakoumakis, players who endeared themselves to supporters with their prowess up front during their successful spells at Parkhead, all took longer to settle and open their accounts.

Can the 21-year-old now build on his encouraging start, establish himself as a regular in Ange Postecoglou’s side and emulate the feats of his revered predecessors? He has much work still to do.




But Oh, who netted in the 5-1 home win over St Mirren on Saturday, is certainly confident that he can play from kick-off if Kyogo Furuhashi is sidelined for an extended period of time by the injury he sustained in the Scottish Cup fifth round tie.

“I am ready to start the next match,” he said. “I hope that Kyogo isn’t seriously injured because he is a very good team mate. It is also the decision of the manager. He will decide what is best for me and for the team. But I am ready.”




Would the £2.5m January signing from Suwon Samsung Bluewings have adapted to life at Celtic so rapidly if it had not been for his world-famous countryman Son Heung-min?

The South Korean internationalist contacted his old Spurs team mate Joe Hart when he learned that Oh was moving to Glasgow and appealed to the goalkeeper to keep a close eye on his young compatriot.

The former England internationalist has duly done so and that has enabled the new recruit to bed in at the Scottish champions without any problems.

“I have spoken to a few of the Korean players who are playing in the UK, guys like Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan at Wolves,” said Oh. “They haven’t given me advice as such, but they have told me what the game is like over here and what to expect.



Joe Hart was a team mate of Son’s at Spurs and he’s told me that they’d spoken on the phone and that Son told him to look after me. He’s been great, he’s been helping me settle in. I’m enjoying every day of my life in Glasgow because all the people have been so kind and friendly to me.”




Furuhashi, who went off early on at the weekend following a heavy fall, will find out the extent of the damage on his injured shoulder when he undergoes a scan today.

If he is ruled out for an extended period of time, Daizen Maeda should get the nod to lead the line in the cinch Premiership match against Aberdeen at Parkhead this weekend. He moved in from the wing and took over from his countryman in attack against St Mirren and promptly opened the scoring,

But the goal that Oh scored – he pounced on a loose ball in the six yard box and fired beyond Trevor Carson – showed why Postecoglou was so keen to secure his services when it became clear Giakoumakis wanted to move on during the January transfer window.

It also suggested he has much to offer Celtic in the coming months and beyond.

The opportunistic strike and the reaction of the home supporters to it – the crowd immediately started chanting his name - will certainly bolster his self-belief considerably.



I saw that Callum (McGregor) was going to shoot,” he said. “I expected that there would be a rebound, felt that there would be a chance for me. Fortunately, I took that chance to score the goal.




In terms of my emotions, this was the moment I’ve been dreaming about my whole life. I’m so happy to share this moment with my fans and my team-mates.

“I was so happy to hear the fans singing, so happy to hear that they already have a song for me with my last name. My aim now is to try my best to make sure our fans can sing that song very often. That would be wonderful.

“I think it was very important for me to score so soon, especially after coming on in the game. As a striker, I tried to stay calm and not be nervous. Maybe I can try the same approach in every game now. But it is easier now that I have scored for Celtic.





Oh appears to be not dissimilar to Giakoumakis, who joined MLS franchise Atlanta United in the United States last week, in style. “That was a typical goal for me as a striker,” he said. “A big part of my game is waiting for rebounds in the box, being ready to score. I am used to that.”

The 6ft 1in forward will not be fazed by the treatment which he receives from opposition defenders in the weeks and months ahead either.

“I can already feel that the football game and the football players in Scotland are more physical and strong than anything I experienced in Korea,” he said. But all the other elements are similar, so I try to enjoy the football here.




But I do like the physical side. This is one of my strengths, to play a very physical, very strong game as a striker. My aim is to score in every game. That is what I will try to do. Do I have a target? As many as possible.”

Postecoglou urged Celtic fans to be patient with his fourth winter acquisition last month. However, the South Korean striker looks to have both the mentality and ability to contribute to his new club’s push for their fifth domestic treble in seven years.

“It’s a very exciting time,” said Oh. “It is a privilege, a real honour, to play at such a great club like Celtic with such amazing team mates. I will try to develop myself and contribute in this league, in the cup final and now a quarter-final, as well.

 

Early days, but looks promising, doesn't look scares to put it about it seems.

With wee kyogo shoulder I'd have him in next week.

 

Good to see that he is well thought of in Korea and is settling in well. It’s good to hear about players being made welcome and looked after.

Oh making a success of his time here can only be a good thing for attracting other Korean players much like Kyogo and the Japanese players. I wouldn’t be surprised to see another Korean signed in the summer.

On Oh I would like to see him start a Saturday if Kyogo doesn’t make it. I think he could cause any defence in Scotland real problems with his size, pace and work rate. He is also good in the air, with the cup final in mind they have lost a lot of goals from corners and crosses this year.

 

Being older and more experienced at something carries big perks and respect in East Asian culture, but also - duties. One of which is to care for and help those that are new to a situation. We treat Oh right, and the Korean player market will be wide open. No more excuses of a difficult winter transfer could be justified.

 

Hes got to start sometime. Might as well be against the sheep. Gets him more minutes of match fitness and if kyogo isn't fit for the huns I think we will need his physical presence. He rapid, tracks back well, and can bully defenders.

 

Really hoping he starts, and I think he will. Got to be good for 60 minutes at this point.

 

Only danger would be he might not be ready to start, only played about 60 minutes since November and he's a decent unit so will probably take a good few games before he's fully up to speed.

I'd probably start him though, see what he's capable of against Aberdeen, if he's superb then use him in the final if he's rusty Maeda up front for the final.

 

Think maeda will start through the middle against Aberdeen

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Lets not forget that in the 2 absolutely pumpings we gave the zombies this and last season in the 3-0 and 4-0 games it was Giakoumakis up front rag dolling their center backs with his physical presence.

 

He might very well and then Oh would likely come on after an hour or so. But it will depend on where Ange thinks he is fitness and match sharpness wise. I would not be surprised to see Oh start or to see Maeda start as the 9 on Saturday assuming Kyogo is not fit to play.

 

No issues starting him on Saturday and I think he will start...and score

 

Would start him against the sheep on Saturday and gove him 60 minutes to get his fitness up as much as possible then start him against the huns and bring Maeda on at 60 minites to run at their defence. They struggle against physical strikers for some reason, against the dross aswell. I'm praying Ange doesn't * about again with the team selection, Jota and Abada must start for me this time along with Mooy.

 

Why should Abada start over Maeda?

One is in the form of his life and the other has scored one goal since November. Plus Maeda gives a * of a lot more than Abada off the ball as well.