The real reason Hyunjun Yang was benched for Celtic hero James Forrest vs Aberdeen

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Brendan Rodgers made one change to the Celtic team that beat Aberdeen at Pittodrie this afternoon.

Rodgers named his Celtic starting XI minus Hyunjun Yang who dropped to the bench for James Forrest for the crucial Scottish Premiership fixture at Pittodrie.

The South Korean was hooked on the hour of Celtic’s win over St Mirren for Forrest and almost immediately the legendary Hoops winger made his presence felt.

And as Forrest prepared to take on Aberdeen, Celtic manager Rodgers explained why he decided to leave Yang out of his starting XI in place of the 34-year-old winger.

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Brendan Rodgers hails James Forrest’s ‘impact’ over Yang at Celtic

With Rangers drawing against Dundee yesterday afternoon, Rodgers had the chance to open up a four-point gap to his rivals.

And it’s clear from what the Hoops boss said, Forrest was his best option to do just that.

Rodgers told Sky Sports, “He’s just been very, very good for us. Whether he starts, or when he comes in, he was outstanding here later on in the season.

“When he plays, you see the impact when he came into the game last weekend. So yeah, he’s in a really good place, very good in the one v one, and hopefully can continue with that.”

On Forrest’s experience for Celtic, “He does. He’s been a brilliant player for this club. And still, like you can see even at 34, he looks after himself so well.

“He’s a top professional and one of the guys that can still really contribute for us.”

James Forrest’s Celtic stats vs Aberdeen vindicate Rodgers’ decision

Forrest, although wasn’t heavily involved, never let the Celtic boss down. The legendary winger barely put a foot wrong and his stats on Fotmob show it:

• Minutes: 77
• Rating: 7.5
• Goals: 0
• Assists: 0
• Total shots: 0
• Accurate passes: 29/29 (100%)
• Chances created: 2
• Touches: 47
• Touches in opposition box: 2
• Successful dribbles: 3/5 (60%)
• Passes into final third: 2

Another professional performance by Forrest as he continues to prove his importance to Celtic.