Jurgen Klinsmann has been sacked as South Korea manager after just a year in charge. The former Tottenham favourite, who has previously managed his native Germany and the USA, had been under fire since his side were beaten by Jordan in the semi-finals of the Asian Cup earlier this month.

The news will be of interest to Celtic’s South Korean duo Yang Hyun-jun and Oh Hyeon-gyu, who have just returned back to Glasgow after spending a month away with the national team. Neither player was a regular starter under Klinsmann, with their Asian Cup appearances coming largely from the bench.

Klinsmann, 59, has faced criticism for continuing to base himself in Los Angeles and reports of in-fighting among the squad also chipped away at his authority and Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korean Football Association, delivered a withering assessment of the outgoing boss. “Coach Klinsmann failed to demonstrate the coaching ability and leadership that we expect from a coach of the Korean national team, such as game management, player management, and work attitude that lead to the national team’s competitiveness,” he said in a statement. “As a result of various discussions and opinions, coach Klinsmann’s competitiveness and attitude as a coach did not meet the expectations and sentiments of the people and it was judged that it would be difficult to improve in the future. It is time to reorganise the national soccer team.”

Jurgen Klinsmann's tenure as South Korea coach is over - with his FA chief delivering a withering assessment of the recent Asian Cup campaign.

Reacting to his dismissal on X, formerly Twitter, Klinsmann wrote: “To all players, my coaching staff and all Korean football fans with sincere gratitude! Thank you so much for all your support taking us to the semi-final of the Asian Cup and an incredible journey over the last 12 months with not losing 13 games in a row! Keep on fighting.”

Jurgen Klinsmann axed by South Korea as Celtic duo face 'reorganisation' of national team