Yang Hyun-jun's Transformative Impact on Celtic's Season
Yang Hyun-jun left Paisley with the match ball in his hands and Celtic’s season humming with possibility.
On a tight, anxious afternoon at The Marbill Coaches Stadium, the 24-year-old South Korean produced the decisive moment in a 2-1 win over St Mirren, rifling home in the 68th minute after a sharp, incisive move sparked by the impressive Camilo Duran. One clean strike, one swing of his left side of the pitch, and the game tilted Celtic’s way.
It felt like more than just a winning goal. It felt like a send-off.
A parting gift from a player transformed
This was Yang’s last domestic outing before he joins up with South Korea for the Asian Games, and he played like a man determined to leave a mark. Direct, inventive, relentless on the ball, he tormented the Paisley Buddies and underlined why his absence over the coming weeks will cut deep at Celtic Park.
He will now miss the trip to Perth to face St Johnstone on Wednesday night, both Glasgow derbies against Rangers, and the Europa League opener against Hungarian runners-up Ferencvaros. For Martin O’Neill, who has quietly built Yang into one of his most important attacking weapons, that schedule makes the timing brutal.
Celtic will have to navigate all of that without the player currently in the form of his life.
Left flank locked down
What stands out most about Yang now is how natural he looks off the left. A year ago, he was still searching for his role and rhythm. On Saturday in Paisley, he owned that side of the pitch.
That suits O’Neill perfectly. On the opposite flank, Haissem Hassan looks increasingly at ease, stretching the play and offering width on the right, even if the Egyptian international is still waiting for the numbers – the goals and assists – to catch up with his promise. That end product is expected to arrive, but for now it’s Yang who is delivering the tangible damage.
And he’s doing it consistently. The winner against St Mirren was his second goal in as many games, backing up his strike against Aberdeen at Celtic Park last Wednesday night. This isn’t a flash in the pan; it’s the pattern of a player who has finally joined the dots in the final third.
From almost sold to almost indispensable
The transformation is stark. It is not long since Yang’s Celtic career looked like it might quietly drift away. Around this time last year, the club were prepared to sell him to Birmingham City for a fee of just £3 million. That move collapsed amid the wider failings of the summer 2025 transfer window, a messy chapter the support knows only too well.
That collapse has turned into a blessing.
Under O’Neill, Yang has fought his way from the fringes into the core of the first team. The trickery that once felt raw and untamed is now sharpened by purpose. He beats men, but he also hurts teams. He tracks back, but he also finishes moves. He’s no longer just a winger with potential; he’s a match-winner in a title race.
The reaction to his upcoming absence says everything. Twelve months ago, few would have blinked if his name had been missing from the team sheet. Now, the idea of Celtic going into a Glasgow derby or a European opener without him feels like a genuine handicap.
A costly absence in a crucial spell
Celtic’s next run of fixtures is unforgiving. St Johnstone away, then that Glasgow derby double header, then Ferencvaros at home to launch the Europa League campaign. These are games that shape a season’s tone, games where individual quality often makes the difference.
Yang’s blend of pace, close control and cool finishing will be sorely missed in all of them.
O’Neill has options, of course, but none quite like the South Korean in his current groove. His understanding with Duran, his comfort on the left, his growing eye for goal – those are hard qualities to replicate on short notice. Celtic will have to improvise, and they will have to do it quickly.
The next big sale in waiting?
What makes Yang’s story even more striking is how quickly the conversation around him has changed. From almost out the door at £3m, he is now on a trajectory that could see him become Celtic’s next major export if his rise continues.
Keep this level up, keep developing under O’Neill across this season, and it is not fanciful to imagine serious interest arriving by next summer. At that point, a fee north of £25m would not sound outrageous in the current market for a wide player with end product, European experience, and international pedigree.
For now, though, Celtic have him. And they have him at his most confident.
In Paisley, as he celebrated with Liam Scales and the away end roared, Yang looked every inch a player who has finally found his place and his purpose at the club. From near afterthought to match winner, from almost sold to almost untouchable.
The Asian Games will take him away for a while. The question now is simple: when he returns, just how far can he drag this Celtic side with him?
