BRENDAN RODGERS didn’t expect new Bhoy Yang Hyun-jun to simply wing it when he arrived from South Korea in the summer.
The Celtic boss understood there would be a passage of time as the 21-year-old wide player got used to his new environment after his £2.1million move from Gangwon FC.
Yang joined at the same time as midfielder Kwon Hyeon-kyu who has yet to make a first-team appearance and is biding his time in the background.
NO FLAGGING…Yang Hyun-jun knows the Celtic management and support are right behind him.
The winger, though, has been involved in 15 games and claimed his first Hoops goal in the 6-0 romp against Aberdeen at Parkhead on Sunday. Last season’s K-League Young Player of the Year made no mistake as he flashed a header into the net following superb service from Luis Palma on the left.
Yang, who won his first senior international cap under head coach Jurgen Klinsmann in September, is learning to walk the walk and talk the talk on and off the pitch.
Explaining the pathway of bringing through newcomers, Rodgers said: “Sometimes you’ll play, come off at half-time, be on the bench or maybe not even be involved. But it’s a constant process that never changes.
“He’ll sit with the coaches, me and talk around his game and acknowledge how hard he works. He’s come from a different culture, half-way across the world and it takes time.
“The players do their lessons and English classes, so eventually they’ll get the language. Like everything, it’s about what you put into it. If ever I need to have clarity and be really clear so they understand we bring in the translator so everything is understood.
“The club is great with that because these boys can be easily left to just come in and have nothing, just be expected to get on with it and learn English. But it’s not as easy as that so they have that support.”
DIDN’T HE DO WELL…Yang Hyun-jun in a battle for possession with Motherwell defender Dan Casey in Celtic’s dramatic 2-1 win at Fir Park.
The likes of Yang, Palma and Marco Tilio, another who has yet to make his top-side debut, will also profit from the expert guidance of former Liverpool, Leeds United and Australia star Harry Kewell who was brought to Parkhead by Rodgers’ predecessor Ange Postecoglou.
The Hoops gaffer, speaking to The Scotsman, continued: “The process is on the pitch, he’ll sit down with Harry Kewell to go through the positioning of the wingers.
“Harry speaks to me about our structure and then it feeds back. That’s the process. On the pitches, the football is the language and it’s universal.
“The analysis and the feedback is constant, all the players get that – and we feed forward to them, too, because you need that in order to progress.
“That’s where you hopefully see the building taking place.”
Rodgers has high hopes for Yang and added: “As a young player, we know he’s going to develop, but you need the right attitude to do that.
“He has that and he’s doing that.
“Sometimes it takes time to understand the things that are asked of you and it’s up to us to find how best you fit into the structure.”
Yang now has the opportunity to display his potential in the first team with Liel Abada and Daizen Maeda both sidelined well into next month.
