Celtic have several players out on loan during the 2024/25 season vying to impress Brendan Rodgers with one eye on the future.
Marco Tilio is back at Melbourne City after a brief stint in the first-team last season. Meanwhile, Johnny Kenny continues to shine with Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland.
Completing 321 minutes of Scottish Premiership action since his move to Leith, Hyeokkyu Kwon is another Celtic loanee making his mark, this time at Hibernian.
Despite having yet to make a first-team appearance for the Bhoys, the 23-year-old has featured four times from the start in all competitions since moving to the Edinburgh outfit for the campaign.
His latest manager, David Gray, previously revealed that Celtic loanee Kwon’s ‘excellent’ performance against Hibernian in a 3-0 win while at St Mirren played a significant part in accelerating the Hibees’ interest in his signature this summer, forming quite the show of belief amid his desire to play regular football.
With regular football falling his way after spending time acclimatising to life in Scotland last term, Kwon has now reaped a deserved reward for his efforts over the last few months.
Celtic loanee Hyeokkyu Kwon’s international recognition
Earlier today, it was confirmed that Kwon has been drafted into South Korea’s international squad for their World Cup qualifying double-header against Jordan and Iraq.
Previously featuring at all underage levels up until Under-23, the midfielder could now stand a chance of claiming his first senior cap for the Taeguek Warriors amid his impressive performances.
Unfortunately, his Celtic teammate Hyunjun Yang misses out on this occasion. Meanwhile, former Hoops striker Hyeongyu Oh is included in the forward line.
The Celtic plan for Hyeokkyu Kwon is clear
After signing for Hibernian, Kwon shared why Celtic sent him on loan for a second consecutive season. The reigning champions’ key priority centres around the £1 million buy gaining further experience of the Scottish game.
He stated: “Celtic have told me that they want me to come here and get experience of the Scottish game. That is my aim. Every day, I am working very hard to improve as a player. And to understand what the manager wants from me.”
For now, he appears to be fulfilling that prophecy. Hibernian are more than happy to offer him regular football, so it will be intriguing to see whether Brendan Rodgers is keeping a close eye on his progress with a view to a future chance in the side.
Either way, his South Korea call-up is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, Kwon can continue to make a an impression at Easter Road over the coming months.
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