Ki keen to take Celtic chance

Conversing with Ki Sung-Yeung is to be reminded of the hermetic lifestyle demanded if you happen to be a young man growing up, and in his case growing out, almost 6,000 miles from home to pursue career development.

The 21-year-old South Korean officially joined Celtic on 1 January from FC Seoul in a 2 million deal. The cultured midfielder, who has 18 caps and four goals for his country, arrived as "the steal of the century", the new Steven Gerrard, the new Shunsuke Nakamura, a prospect who, having spent his formative years in an Australian centre of sporting excellence, would encounter no language barriers, no assimilation problems. But moving to an entirely new culture, having to embrace a completely new diet, can never be straightforward. Even if, as in the case Ki, you have a command of English that speaks of a great maturity. However, in some respects, capacity for introspection could be unhelpful when your daily existence, by necessity, must be a daily grind.

"I feel alone at home because my family are in Korea and at times I really miss them," Ki says. "But I have to overcome everything to succeed. I stay at home all the time, train and eat food. And stay at home to rest. That's what I do."

Ki makes light of these dificulties, but his manager Tony Mowbray understands them only too well. When he joined Celtic in 1991, he spent "eight months in the Forte Crest hotel (in East Kilbride], seventh floor. Looking at the same four walls every day. It can be hard and people don't realise. The same menu for eight months…"

Oh well, at least Ki is spared that. He is attempting to cook Korean food in his home, though he has been receiving food parcels of local snacks from his family. They only recently returned to South Korean following three weeks in Glasgow. Yet the midfielder gives no impression that any ways in which he is required to dedicate himself to his new football challenges will prove beyond him. Indeed, Mowbray points out that the player is being looked after by a liason officer, that he is meeting people through the local Korean church and, if he wants a pal to watch the football with, his manager lives round the corner.

What Ki has going for him more than anything else is his determination to succeed. It must have been there from the youngest age. Otherwise he would not have responded so positively to his professional footballer father sending him to John Paul College in Brisbane for three years from the age of 13. The main coach who worked with him there, Jeff Hopkins, has talked of a youngster desperate to immerse himself in all aspects of specialist training, and who was forever asking questions and watching football on television.

In upbeat fashion, Ki sets out his willingness to remake himself as a player and a man to maximise his talents. Already he is sufficiently developed for Mowbray to believe he could "go out and play the killer passes and control the football matches for us" on a weekly basis. He has flitted in and out of the team, however, because the Celtic manager is conscious of the "burden" that the expectation to be the creative fulcrum would place on a youngster at a emotionally and physically delicate juncture of his journey into adulthood.

For the latter, the rake-like, 6ft 1in Ki has a programme that involves both pumping iron and pumping in the proteins. "Players here are physically stronger than Asian players and the speed of the game is faster," he says. "I've been trying to build up my body by working in the gym three times a week and doing extra training. There are a lot of matches so I can't do the gym every day, but I'm still working out when I can.

"I also eat a lot of food and have tried Scottish food – but I like Korean food. The club have issued me with a programme which is perfect for me. It's not to get fit in two or three weeks, it's like over one or two years. I'm still young so maybe in that time I'll be much bigger, fitter and stronger. I'm trying to eat plenty of protein. I was a bit skinny when I was in Korea and a lot of people told me I had to get fitter and eat more and more. If I'm full, I don't eat, though."

Ki had interest from Manchester United and PSV Eindhoven at the age of 18, and a concrete contract offer from Portsmouth. His age and work permit restrictions made it always likely a move would have to wait. Many in the game have expressed suprise that the current Asian young player of the year chose Celtic as his European football gateway. But with genuine glee over the historic club at which he is now bedding in, he shuts down the tired old Premier League eventual destination enquiry. "I haven't even thought about going to England now, I'm only thinking about Celtic," he says.

There has been plenty to think about. Bundled over in the lead-up to Hibernian scoring a late winner at Celtic Park last month, the "different style of referees" tells him he needs "to get stronger to stay up (on feet]". "I get less time on the ball in Scotland but I'm fine with that. The pitches are are also totally different. I'm starting to adapt now, but for the first month I had no idea how to play on pitches like that. I also had to wear metal studs but I'd never worn them in Korea."

Ki believes he has "a lot of presure to succeed" from those in his homeland because fellow internationalists Park Ji-Sung and Lee Chung-Yong are "doing well" in England. As the man from Manchester United and captain of a country seeking to emulate their 2002 World Cup semi-final placing at the South African finals this summer, Park is, Ki says, "the role model for every young Korean player". He is also a friend.

"He takes care of all the boys, he's a nice man," the Celtic player says. "I speak to him about three times a week. Before the match against AC Milan I told him to score some goals! I want to go to Manchester to see him but it's a little bit far. Maybe when I get two consecutive days off I'll go. Every player in Korea wants to be like him."

Ki harbours ambitions to play in the World Cup and that puts pressure on him to win starts for Celtic. He knows too, though, he needs to "check his body" having just come off a full Korean summer season in which he racked up 50 games, with internationals included. "I have to keep playing to get into the World Cup squad and there's only three months to go. But I'm just trying to enjoy the football here. It's important for me to play regularly for the World Cup but right now the team is first and the World Cup second because we have to win the league. The players are under pressure but were very positive and well try our best – we're looking to win every game."

That seems almost an impossiblity as Mowbray seems to have been embarking on a form of footballing globalisation of his squad. Ki has been one of ten nationalities in the Celtic starting line-up of late. Mowbray makes plain he is fully aware of the importance of clubs "having a core of their history around them". Players "who know what it is all about". "When I first came in I had discussions with some of the players who were leaving out of contract. It was important, regardless of talent, not to let a personality go that would have been crucial for a period of time.

"There were four or five out of contract when I first arrived. Some it wasn't even on the agenda but others I was keen to try and find out about personalities whteher there was a strong one who could influence these young guys. That is why we have looked long and hard at some British-based, some Irish and English footballers to try and keep a core understanding of the expectations and the demands at this club."

Ki might not have been born one of these. But he appear committed and enthusiastic enough to become one.

Ki Sung-Yueng was speaking at the launch of a partnership between Celtic and international aid agency Oxfam Scotland, aimed at fighting poverty in Africa in the year that the World Cup is hosted on the continent for the first time. Visit www.oxfam.org.uk/celtic