Stiliyan Petrov has issued his initial verdict on new Celtic forward Yang Hyun-Jun after Brendan Rodgers’ summer signing made his Premiership debut against Ross County.
The Bhoys have made a raft of signings this summer since re-hiring Rodgers to replace Ange Postecoglou in June. Yang was among the first to arrive in Glasgow after Celtic struck a £2m deal with Gangwon FC in July. The 21-year-old also put pen to paper on a five-year contract.
Yang headed for Scotland after catching the eye with his efforts in the K-League over the last two years. The winger made his breakthrough in first-team football in 2022 and scored eight goals plus four assists in 36 games. He also played 21 times in 2023 for a goal and an assist.
Celtic bet on Yang’s potential with his transfer from Gangwon
Celtic sought to snap up Yang’s signature in the hopes that he can quickly adapt to European football. The Busan-born star had never previously played a competitive game outside of his native South Korea. He is also yet to play in a senior international game despite two call-ups.
Outings at the junior level on the international stage have also been rare with Yang featuring just four times for South Korea’s Under-21s. He has further only started twice for his country and has failed to offer a goal or an assist. Yang made his South Korea U21 bow in June 2022.
What has Petrov said about Yang after his Premiership debut?
Rodgers was not afraid to give Yang his Premiership debut at the first chance when Celtic beat Ross County, though. He introduced the Hoops’ new forward in the 79th minute for Liel Abada whilst 4-1 up. James Brown would later draw one goal back to see the game end 4-2.
Yang did not have long enough on the pitch to truly make his presence felt. But the attacker added another lively presence when able to show his potential. And Yang made an imprint on Hoops hero Petrov, who appreciated what Celtic’s new signing offered on his league debut.
“Yang looked quite impressive when he came on,” Petrov said on Sky Sports. “He looks different [and] he tried to take people on.”
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