Over the last few weeks, Celtic supporters have been given their first glimpses into new January signing Hyeongyu Oh.
The 21-year-old arrives as a new forward option for Ange Postecoglou, replacing the outgoing Giorgos Giakoumakis, who made the move to Atlanta United.
So far, Oh’s appearances have been very brief, coming off the bench against Dundee United, Livingston and St Johnstone. However, there have been some bright sparks.
But we are still to see the full extent of what the South Korean will have to offer, and his teammates sound excited by what they have seen.
One man who has known about Oh’s potential ability from an earlier age is former Suwon Samsung Bluewings and South Korean defender Kwak Hee-ju.
The 41-year-old coaches the new Celtic signing at Maetan high school, and from an early age it was clear to see the youngster’s ability.
Speaking in an interview with the Scottish media, Kwak Hee-ju revealed that Oh is the idol of many young players in his country, who have watched his rise.
The six-time capped international also predicted it could take some time to settle in, but he believes the frontman will quickly absorb what he is being coached and continue his impressive development.
He said [Sun Sport]: “I first saw Oh play football when he was 15. He would have been in second or third year of middle school. I watched a game he was playing in, and straight away, I felt he had the talent to be a very good striker.
“At 15, he was a player with excellent physical strengths and skill. It seemed like he already knew how to behave as a professional footballer. Oh has always had lot curiosity to learn, and he absorbed good advice and lessons.
“Even if Oh was doing well at an amateur age, he was not satisfied. He never stopped learning. The biggest strength of this player is that he will always ask for advice and look to improve his game.
“Oh, won’t think he has learned everything just because he has made a big move to Europe. He will learn from the strengths of players who have good skills at Celtic. Oh is an IDOL for every young player in South Korea. He is an exemplary professional.”
He continued: “I think he’ll go through hardships and adversity in the first year. I don’t think he has to learn more possession skills and passing skills, but he will be learning different things.
“However, Oh wants to play soccer faster and be more delicate when he needs to be. So he’ll absorb everything he has been told, and I am sure he’s going to develop more every year.
“As I said, he’s an idol for younger players. I want other youth players to look at Oh’s personality. For me, all the kids under the professional team should learn from his attitude.”
Hyeongyu Oh sounds like the ideal fit for Celtic as he prepares to learn under Ange Postecoglou.
One of the most interesting points that Kwak Hee-ju makes about Hyeongyu Oh is that he is extremely keen to learn from his coaches.
This is likely a reason that Ange Postecoglou made the move to bring the striker to the club. He is a young player looking to develop his game to the next level.
And he is working under the ideal manager and coaching staff to do just that.
It has been incredible to see the turnaround and impact the Celtic manager has had on members of this Celtic squad, and Oh will be feeling like he is the next player ready to develop.
It will certainly be exciting to see the sort of player the South Korean international can develop into after playing alongside his new teammates and working under Ange Postecoglou.
In other news, Celtic’s strength showcased as potential changes to starting 11 vs St Mirren assessed.
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