Oh Hyeon-gyu, who triumphantly emerged from Kyogo Furuhashi’s shadow, acknowledges that it felt fantastic to get out of a tough moment.
The South Korean striker now acknowledges that he would welcome additional chances to link up with the Japanese best player. Oh has also expressed his sincere appreciation for Brendan Rodgers’ unwavering support. With a pivotal late winner to defeat St Mirren, the 22-year-old chose the ideal time to start the season strong.
Oh came off the bench to provide a brilliant performance against Stephen Robinson’s team, preserving his team’s five-point advantage at the top of the Premiership going into tomorrow’s away trip to play Ross County. The backup hitman had been waiting a long time behind Kyogo this semester, so it was especially satisfying when he finally struck.
“I’m thrilled to have scored my first goal of the season,” Oh remarked. When the ball struck the net, it felt incredible. Since I haven’t been able to score this season, it has been a really trying moment for me. However, the gaffer told me to never stop moving forward. And I’ve been putting in a lot of effort in training every day.
Family members were present in the stands to witness this unique occasion, and Oh’s relief was justified given that, prior to his game-winning cameo, he had struggled mightily at the start of the term.
After being signed in January by previous manager Ange Postecoglou from Suwon Samsung, the striker made an immediate impact in Glasgow. When Kyogo left for the MLS, Oh replaced Giorgos Giakoumakis as Kyogo’s deputy, and he quickly started scoring goals.
Paradoxically, considering the goal he scored against St. Mirren this past Wednesday, his first netting display came against the Paisley team. Oh scored his first-ever Celtic goal as a substitute against the Buddies in a 5-1 victory in a Scottish Cup match in February.
The Asian then scored his second goal for Postecoglou in the SMiSA Stadium the next month, and Celtic won in Paisley by the same score.
Even though Kyogo took center stage and won Player of the Year honors while leading the Australian team to victory, Oh nevertheless showed enough in the last weeks of the season to suggest a promising future for the Hoops.
His game-winning goal against Hearts at Tynecastle guaranteed Celtic the title in Gorgie, and he added another goal against Hibs on his subsequent trip to the Capital.
Oh ended the successful Premiership season on a high note with his double against Aberdeen, which resulted in a 5-0 thrashing. He then showed promise for new manager Rodgers in the preseason, returning after the season.
But after making an impression in Celtic’s dramatic comeback victory over Athletic Bilbao in James Forrest’s Testimonial Match, an injury abruptly stopped the momentum. Oh tried to train despite his calf problem against the Spaniards, which ultimately proved to be his doom due to his desperate attempt to impress.
The striker reported the injury to the team’s medical staff during practice the next day after being left out of the starting lineup against Ross County on the first day of the premier league.
Oh eventually suffered a month-long injury before making his Ibrox comeback as a substitute in his team’s 1-0 victory over Rangers. Although the attacker has not yet begun a competitive game for Rodgers, he has appreciated the coach’s backing each day.
Rodgers was fulsome in his praise of Oh after Wednesday’s winner as he detailed the desire and application of the kid on and off the park. The manager enthused: “He looks after his body, his diet, everything is superb. He’s so professional, he looks at his training and he knows when asked upon he can come in and make an impact.
Oh thanks his boss for his support, acknowledging that it was important to him in the beginning of the term when he had few opportunities to shine. “Having that support from the gaffer has been great,” he remarked. He believes in me, which is why he always gives me confidence. That is crucial for every player to know.
Naturally, Oh stated that he now wants to score more goals this season, so that would be the greatest way for him to thank the manager—repeating the heroics of midweek would be the goal. Every football player wants to start every game, but I’ll always give the team my all, whether I have five or ten minutes to spare.
While he works tirelessly to achieve the best outcomes for himself and Celtic, Oh is also able to have conversations in English with his teammates. Naturally, Kyogo speaks in terms of goals, and his youthful assistant acknowledges that he is constantly picking up tips from the expert finisher.
Oh acknowledges that he would welcome the opportunity to collaborate more often after the two of them worked together to score the goal against Saints. The game-winning play was carved by Kyogo’s deft hand into Odin Thiago Holm, which allowed the Norwegian child to feed Oh.
Yogo is an excellent player, Oh stated. I believe that we are a good team. Every day in training, he teaches me something new. I was thrilled that we collaborated for the goal because I want to play alongside him in every game.
