South Korean striker Hwang Ui-jo has shared the key advice he gave Celtic signing Hyeongyu Oh upon his January move to Parkhead.
The 30-year-old is currently back in his homeland, on loan at FC Seoul from English Premier League side Nottingham Forest.
The forward is strangely yet to play for the English side since joining in 2022. However, he has plenty of experience in different European leagues.
After moving to Europe from J-League side Gamba Osaka, Hwang spent three years with French club Bordeaux. He has also recently had a spell on loan at Olympiacos.
The FC Seoul striker will know Oh from his international exploits, with both men involved in the pre-World Cup squad. Hwang even went on to play all four games for his nation in Qatar, earning his 53rd cap.
So there is plenty that the new Celtic frontman can learn from his fellow international striker, particularly after his spells abroad in his career.
Speaking in a recent interview, Hwang revealed that upon signing for Celtic, Hyeongyu Oh reached out for some advice.
The international attacker insisted that the ability to play a variety of positions would be crucial, as he backed Oh to be a success at Parkhead.
He said [Sports Khan as quoted by Glasgow Times]: “Because I had previously played in Europe with Bordeaux for three years, Oh reached out to me for advice before he decided to sign for Celtic.
“I had a couple of important instructions for him – the first was to gain the respect of your teammates, and the second was to learn to play as a wide forward or a winger, as well as just a striker.
“In European football, variety is key. The ability to be able to play well in a number of positions is very important. I believe Oh is good enough to do that. He has the physicality and ability to expand his game.
“And it is very important he reaches out to his teammates and coaches at Celtic and tries to integrate as much as possible.
“I was in France for three years and still can’t speak French. That was undoubtedly a hindrance. I told Oh to learn the language as quickly as possible.
“He is clearly a very good player, but as a Korean, you have to work extra hard to succeed in Europe. I am sure he will.”
No better example for Oh to follow as he aims to kick-start start career at Celtic.
Despite only making substitute appearances for Ange Postecoglou’s side, it has been a successful start to Oh’s Celtic career.
The striker has looked promising in his few appearances off the bench and even managed to grab his first goal in the Scottish Cup victory over St Mirren last week.
It may still be early days, but there are all the right signs that the striker will be a success at Parkhead after making the jump to Europe.
There won’t be many better examples for Oh to follow than his fellow countryman Hwang Ui-jo, who has given him some extremely valuable advice that he learned from his time in France.
At some stage in the near future, both players could find themselves performing on the international stage for the South Korean national team.
Oh will certainly be hoping his form at Celtic can fire him to a spot in the squad after just narrowly missing out on the World Cup in Qatar.
In other news, Callum McGregor excited by the prospect of bumper Celtic crowd at Tynecastle.
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