Yang Hyun-jun's Impact on Celtic's Season
Yang Hyun-jun walked off in Paisley with the look of a man who knew he’d just left a mark on this Celtic season.
One swing of his left boot, one ruthless finish, and St Mirren were sunk.
Yang delivers, then disappears
At The Marbill Coaches Stadium on 5 September, with the game finely balanced, Yang seized it. In the 68th minute, the 24-year-old cut in from the left and buried his chance, turning a tense afternoon into a 2-1 lead that Celtic would not surrender.
It was a goal made by Camilo Duran’s sharp, intelligent work and finished by a player who suddenly looks like he belongs on this stage. Yang didn’t just score; he ran the game from that left flank, tormenting the Paisley defence and stretching St Mirren every time he picked up the ball.
For Celtic, it felt like a breakthrough performance.
For Yang, it was a goodbye. For now.
The winger now leaves Glasgow to join up with the South Korea squad for the Asian Games, and the timing could hardly be more awkward for Martin O’Neill. Yang will miss the midweek trip to Perth to face St Johnstone, both Glasgow derbies against Rangers, and the Europa League opener against Ferencvaros.
That’s not a minor inconvenience. That’s one of Celtic’s most in-form attackers disappearing for a crucial run of fixtures.
From fringe to first pick
The transformation is striking. A year ago, few would have blinked if Yang’s name had dropped out of the team sheet. Now his absence feels like a genuine problem for O’Neill.
The South Korean has flourished under the veteran Irishman. His work on the left has been sharp, direct and decisive, and he already looks like a player who understands both his role and his responsibility. His winner in Paisley was his second goal in as many games, following his strike against Aberdeen at Celtic Park the previous Wednesday.
This is not just about tricks on the touchline. He has end product now.
His partnership with Haissem Hassan also offers balance. Yang looks increasingly at home on the left, while Hassan appears comfortable operating on the opposite flank. The Egyptian international is still waiting for his own big moment in front of goal, but the structure of Celtic’s attack feels more coherent with both of them in the side.
The problem for O’Neill is that only one of them is sticking around for the next few weeks.
A near-miss that changed everything
It is remarkable to think how close Celtic came to cashing in on Yang before this leap forward ever happened.
Around this time last year, he was on the brink of a move to Birmingham City for around £3 million. That deal collapsed amid the wider failures of the summer 2025 transfer window, a chaotic period that still hangs over the club’s recruitment narrative.
What looked like a mismanaged window then now feels, in Yang’s case, like a sliding-doors moment that has fallen in Celtic’s favour.
Instead of leaving quietly for the English Championship, he has fought his way into being a genuine first-team asset. His development under O’Neill has been rapid and obvious, and his current form has turned him from expendable squad player into one of the side’s key attacking weapons.
No one at Celtic is talking numbers yet, but if this trajectory continues, the idea of Yang becoming a £25 million-plus sale next summer no longer sounds fanciful. It sounds like the logical next step in a career that has suddenly caught fire.
A costly absence at a critical time
In the short term, though, Celtic have a headache.
Yang’s pace, direct running and growing eye for goal will be badly missed in Perth, in the Glasgow derby double header, and on that important Europa League night against Ferencvaros. Those are fixtures where small margins matter, where one moment of quality can tilt a game.
Yang has been providing those moments.
The contrast with last season is stark. Back then, his omission would have raised barely a murmur. Now his departure for international duty is seen as a major blow by both manager and support. That shift tells its own story.
Celtic will need others to step up while he is away. Hassan will come under the spotlight. So will the rest of O’Neill’s forward line. The standard Yang has set in recent weeks is high; replacing that influence, even temporarily, is no easy task.
For now, though, the picture is clear.
A year ago, Yang Hyun-jun was almost sold for £3 million.
Today, he walks out of Paisley as Celtic’s match winner, one of O’Neill’s most important players, and a winger whose next move might not be to Birmingham but to the very top end of the market.
Enjoy him while he’s still here. The way this season is shaping up, Celtic might not be able to say that for too many more windows.
