Whilst Japan’s national team manager Hajime Moriyasu has chosen to exclude both Reo Hatate and Kyogo from his Japan squad for upcoming friendlies with Uruguay and Colombia, South Korean boss Jurgen Klinsmann appears to have less of an issue with the standard of Scottish football, after Hyeongyu Oh, was included in his first squad as manager for upcoming friendly matches with the same opponents.
Oh will take his place in the squad for the upcoming fixtures to be played in Ulsan and Seoul, with the games a chance to add to his solitary international cap to date.
Oh was initially included in the South Korean squad for the World Cup, but stood aside when Spurs’ Son Heung-min made a miraculous recovery from an injury which looked like keeping him out of the Qatar showpiece. And perhaps that team ethic, alongside an impressive start to his Celtic career in Scotland, including two goals despite being yet to start a game, has convinced Klinsmann as to Oh’s suitability for selection.
Although the sensational goalscoring form of Kyogo has prevented Oh from starting a game for Celtic so far, the South Korean striker has certainly impressed when he has had time on the pitch afforded to him. His hold up play, ball protection and link up play already looks impressive and when you consider Oh is still only 21 years of age, a bright future looks assured at both club and international level.
The Celtic striker had commented on his international aspirations just prior to being called up by Klinsmann, when he admitted as quoted by Sunday Post.
“The national team coach has not been in touch yet. All players dream of playing for their national team, and if I were to get the chance to be involved again, I would be very grateful and give everything I have.
“I played at different representative youth levels and last year I was given my debut for the senior side. That was the realisation of one of my childhood dreams and, since then, my passion for my country has grown ever bigger.”
It’s far from ideal to have Celtic players travelling such distances as the Hoops hit a title run in and prepare for the possibility of a domestic treble, but at the same time international aspirations are part of the reason players from far and wide choose Celtic as a transfer destination, so it’s important to recognise this is the trade-off Celtic must agree to when it comes to attracting talent from far flung destinations.
For the player himself, this call up is a fantastic opportunity to convince a new national manager as to his undoubted talents. Whilst a returning Oh, brimming full of confidence, can only help Celtic achieve their aim of a domestic clean sweep of silverware, and perhaps even persuade a certain Japanese manager that playing in Scotland shouldn’t necessarily exclude players from gaining international recognition.
Watch former Celtic captain speaking to the Celtic fan media yesterday afternoon including of course The Celtic Star…
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