Former Celtic striker Simon Donnelly has backed Hyeongyu Oh to take his Celtic opportunity after Kyogo was forced off injured against St Mirren.
The South Korean international has made a strong start to life in Glasgow, and last week he got off the mark in front of goal in the Scottish Cup.
Oh is still waiting to make his first start for the Hoops as he bides his time behind Kyogo Furuhashi, who has been on fine form in recent months.
However, his opportunity to start may come this weekend after the Japanese forward was forced off through injury in last week’s Fifth Round tie.
Depending on the seriousness of Kyogo’s knock, the January signing could find himself playing from the start over the next few weeks.
And ex-Celtic striker Simon Donnelly believes he has seen enough to think Oh is ready to take his opportunity up top for the Hoops.
Speaking in a recent interview, although Donnelly would love to see Kyogo fit as soon as possible, he has faith that Oh can step up after his brief appearances off the bench and scoring his first goal on Saturday.
He said [Sun Sport]: “Oh, will be thinking about the cup final now, absolutely he will. That’s the way I’d be thinking, given Kyogo has picked up an injury and is a major doubt.
“Oh got his first goal at the weekend, and his confidence is sure to be high. He’ll be another week further forward in terms of fitness too.
“So if he comes in against Aberdeen at the weekend, he’ll see it as a massive opportunity. He could be starting in a major final, and he’s virtually just in the door at Celtic.”
“We haven’t seen a lot of the boy since he was brought into the club. When Kyogo got injured against St Mirren, the manager didn’t put him on right away.
“It was Liel Abada who was the first substitute, with Daizen Maeda moved from his role on the left to the striker position.
“But Oh went on later in the game and managed to get his goal. So I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the one who plays through the middle against Aberdeen. He’s then got an opportunity to really stake a claim for the final.
“Everyone connected with Celtic is hoping Kyogo is passed fit to play in the final. I’m no different. But I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Oh so far. He’s a younger lad, but he’s got a fair amount of physicality to his game, which is different from the other players.
“He’s really robust looking. He showed that with the way he rolled Andy Considine last week against St Johnstone to get him sent off. Maeda’s strength is his pace and running power. He goes past people on the flank like they’re not there, and he does it without a trick!
“I just look at Oh and think he could now get this chance. Ange clearly trusts him, that’s why he brought him as a replacement for Giorgos Giakoumakis — and personally, I trust Ange’s recruitment 100 per cent.
“I’m content that he knows what he’s doing with players he signs because he always seems ahead of the game in that department.
“He’ll know exactly what this lad can bring to the team. It’s maybe just the fact he’s not quite been up to speed yet that stopped him from going on as the first substitute against St Mirren.
“But he’ll have another week’s training under his belt before the weekend, and I can see Ange starting him against Aberdeen.”
Oh now seems ready for Celtic impact after goalscoring exploits, and Saturday’s game could be ideal chance for first start.
It will have been a fantastic boost for Oh to get off the mark on Saturday evening after coming off the bench against St Mirren.
That will give the young striker all the confidence in the world, and that might have come at an important point for the player and Celtic.
At this moment in time, we don’t know the full extent of Kyogo’s injury. But it seems unlikely that we will see him return straight away against Aberdeen.
So a first start may be on the horizon for Oh this weekend as he eyes up more goals in the green and white Hoops.
With the Glasgow Derby fixture also coming up, Saturday’s game could be the ideal opportunity for Oh to showcase his worth from the start ahead of an important game.
It should be interesting to see what sort of role the 21-year-old plays for Ange Postecoglou’s squad against Barry Robson’s Aberdeen.
But Simon Donnelly certainly believes that he is ready to make an impact after some strong substitute appearances.
In other news, Former Celtic defender Andreas Hinkel set to join Belgium coaching staff.
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