What a moment for Hyeongyu Oh following his much-needed and deserved winning goal for Celtic against St Mirren on Wednesday night.
The longest the 22-year-old has spent on the pitch this season for Celtic is the 25 minutes he was handed during the goalless draw against Hibs over the weekend.
That’s never easy for a player, especially for a striker judged on his numbers, but Hyeongyu Oh showcased none of that rusty nature when coming off the bench last night.
Brendan Rodgers praised the South Korean star for the ‘sublime’ nature in which he took his goal, especially his decision to take a first touch before firing the ball into the back of the net.
But it all stems from the hard work Hyeongyu Oh is putting in training, with Brendan Rodgers sharing that Celtic’s fringe star is impressing, including how he ‘analyses his games’, as he told the club’s official YouTube channel.
This is great news for the Celtic faithful because it proves that if anything happens to Kyogo Furuhashi, then they have the match-ready Hyeongyu Oh waiting in the background.
“It’s a huge credit to the subs, how they look after themselves, how they train, come in and make an impact in the game,” said Rodgers.
“I thought our second goal, the winning goal, was a fantastic footballing goal if you see the moves, how we worked the ball, lovely combinations, sped the game up around the box and so happy for big Oh to get his goal. It was a very good finish.
“I think Oh makes a great choice because, especially when you haven’t played so much, you can get it out of your feet and shoot. But he showed a sublime pass and the big guy took his touch and finished it so well.
“I am really happy for him. He works so hard at his game. How he looks after his body. His training. Works with the coaches. They get extra work. He analyses his games, so you know when he comes on he is going to be ready.”
The main event for Celtic is the clash against Atletico Madrid next week in the Champions League, so does Rodgers make changes for Ross County?
Expect goalscorer David Turnbull to start, but will someone like Oh also get his chance?
If there was a chance to rotate or rest Kyogo, then this is the opportunity to do so because the games are just coming in thick and fast now.
You don’t want another Hibs situation where the players look visibly fatigued following their exertions from the 2-2 draw against Atletico Madrid because that trip to Spain is going to take a lot out of the players.