Celtic boss Martin O'Neill has issued an injury update of sorts on winger Yang Hyun-jun, who picked up a setback during the Asian Games. Yang was one of the three overage wildcard picks for South Korea for the tournament, which the nation won for the fourth straight time.
Yang was hoping to be a major contributor after going into the tournament on the back of superb form for the Bhoys, but he picked up a hamstring strain after one game and did not get back on the pitch.
Yang was fit enough to make the bench for the semi-final and final, but he was not risked, with his manager promising to look after any players with injury concerns.
Yang wasn't risked, which Celtic will be pleased with, but they will need to assess the winger ahead of this weekend's clash with Motherwell. A hamstring issue can be a lingering problem for a winger who is constantly accelerating and decelerating, so Celtic will want to play it carefully, especially with some tougher games and a long season ahead.
“Yang has gone off and he’s had a hamstring problem,” O’Neill said in his update on CelticTV.
“And so those are the concerns all the time as a club manager when your players are away on international duty. But we’ll see how everybody is on Friday and we’ll take it from there.”
Celtic would be wise not to risk Yang. Sebastian Tounekti is not in great form, but he is a serviceable option on the left to get past Motherwell and give Yang at least another few days ahead of next Thursday's Europa League clash with Benfica.
Risking Yang this weekend could lead to ongoing issues or a fresh setback that keeps the winger out for weeks or worse, and they just don't need to take that risk. Even if Tounekti isn't looked upon favourably, O'Neill has the option of playing Camilo Durán there and putting Haissem Hassan on the right.
Add us as a preferred source on Google