Celtic boss lifts lid on Hyeon-gyu Oh talks as Jurgen Klinsmann jets in on a special mission

Hyeon-gyu Oh may have only started one of his nine Celtic appearances since his January arrival, but manager Ange Postecoglou is convinced that the South Korean is on the path to success.

The lack of minutes is no reflection on the 22-year-old striker for standing between him and more regular appearances in the starting 11 is Kyogo Furuhashi – who just happens to be the top scorer in Scotland with 28 goals this term. Oh, who has struck the net twice, may have to bide his time before becoming the mainstay that his Japanese team-mate has, but Posteocglou has seen enough to suggest that he has a bright future in the game.

So too has Jurgen Klinsmann. The South Korea head coach called the striker into his squad last month and watched as Oh was cruelly denied a first goal for his country in only his third cap with his spectacular strike against Uruguay being disallowed for a marginal offside. Now the Germany legend will jet into Scotland this weekend to catch a glimpse of Oh in action as Celtic look to take one step closer to securing the Premiership title at Kilmarnock on Sunday.

"I had an exchange with Jurgen after the camp and he was really happy with Oh," Postecoglou revealed. "He’s going to continue to develop. That was his first international camp with Jurgen and he mentioned he was keen to come over and watch him and that the Kilmarnock game would fit in. Hopefully he enjoys the game and I’m sure Oh will get the chance to impress."

Celtic's Hyeon-gyu Oh fouls Rangers defender John Souttar after coming off the bench during last Saturday's Old Firm encounter. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Put to him that playing under such a legendary striker at international level can only be good for Celtic and Oh, Postecoglou jokingly referenced his own playing career. "As opposed to playing under an ordinary left full-back on a weekly basis … look, international football in itself is great for players. I’ve worked at that level and it gives players a real different challenge to whatever league they play in. It can only help Oh’s development and with Jurgen also being a striker that’s going to be a benefit. But I think the biggest benefit is just playing international football because you get challenged playing against all different kinds of defenders in different formations. All that can only help a player’s development."

While Furuhashi may be a barrier to Oh's minutes on the park, Postecoglou believes that training with and playing alongside his East Asian colleague can only help his chances of emulating his success at Celtic. "Obviously Kyogo is a bit more mature but he’s a player who has come from the other side of the world and I think it gives Oh great confidence to know that just because you come from a different culture or upbringing doesn’t mean you can’t make a big impact. I’m sure he’s learning off Kyogo in his own way, seeing how hard he works on a daily basis and how hard he works for his team. That will help him in his development as a footballer. The big guy has done really well since he joined us. He embraced the culture, the club, the league, everything. You can see how determined he is to be success. I think he’s going to be a very good footballer for us."