YANG HYUN-JUN is ready for a wing ding-dong at Celtic this season.
With the champions on the brink of adding Egypt World Cup flanker Haissem Hassan, the South Korean knows he faces a battle for a first-team place on the touchline.
Filipe Jota will add to the competition when he eventually returns to action after 16 months on the sidelines following a cruciate ligament injury.
The Portuguese pin-up hopes to be ready to get the nod for a much-anticipated comeback sometime in late October or November.
PICK IT OUT…Yang Hyun-jun celebrates one of his ten goals last season in Celtic’s remarkable double-winning season.
Tunisian international Sebastian Tounekti is also in the queue and claims from evergreen James Forrest, now in his sixteenth season with the Hoops, cannot be overlooked.
Goodness only knows what the future has in store for £4.5million misfit Michel-Ange Balikwisha, but there is enough competition around to keep Yang on his toes.
One vitally important person who believes the 24-year-old raider is up for the task is assistant manager Shaun Maloney.
Martin O’Neill’s No.2 got another close-up view of the player when he took charge of the team in the absence of the Irishman in Sunday’s 5-1 romp against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
Kasper Hogh took the headlines with his first-half hat-trick, but Yang also played his role before being replaced by Forrest in the 74th minute with the visitors already 4-1 ahead.
Maloney said: “Last year, Yang took that right-wing position by the scruff of the neck and went to another level. He’s always been that sort of quite a good player or impact player at the club.
“But last year he thought: ‘I want to be an important player’.”
Yang netted 10 goals and contributed three assists during the double-winning campaign and had a contender for Goal of the Year with a brilliant solo effort against Danny Rohl’s side at Parkhead on January 3.
Unfortunately, it was forgotten in the aftermath of abject disappointment as the Hoops collapsed in the second-half and the wretched Wilfried Nancy was sacked two days later.
OOPS…Yang Hyun-jun holds his head after an attack breaks down in the 1-0 win in Celtic’s Premiership opener against Dundee at Parkhead last week.
Maloney, speaking to The Glasgow Times, continued: “Not every winger will have an amazing game attacking-wise all the time.
“But if you give that other side of the game to your team-mates, you will find yourself in the team for big occasions. He earned the manager’s trust.
“He’s got an unbelievable work-rate and is also brilliant without the ball.”
The Celtic deputy gaffer added: “Yang started to come on as a sub for Martin and had a really good impact.
“And then he was off and running.”
Let’s hope the South Korean is still in motion when the Hoops face Dundee United in the Premier Sports League Cup at Tannadice in Saturday’s 5.45pm kick-off.
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