Celtic will have four players playing in the 2024 Asian Cup. South Koreans Oh and Yang have been called up by Jurgen Klinsmann meanwhile Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate have made it into the Japan squad. Kyogo Furuhashi will be staying in Glasgow.
Although these bhoys’ absences will be a blow for manager Brendan Rodgers, he has admitted it is something the club planned for well in advance: “It’s not a surprise”, he said (Daily Record). “It’s something you have to plan forward for and it was one of the first things we spoke about coming in here. It’s not all about the present, it’s about looking forward to each window. We have that in hand and we know what our ideas are for that.”
The Asian Cup will undoubtedly impact the Hoops’ January transfer plans. Players could be missing for a maximum of five games, although the snub of Kyogo will be a boost for Rodgers and Co.
The 28-year-old was off the boil for the majority of last month, but he ended it on a high with strikes against Livingston and Rangers, the latter being a goal-of-the-season contender.
The fact he is staying in Glasgow throughout January and February lessens the worries of the Celtic supporters, although the absences of other key assets will heighten the need for new arrivals of quality.
With Oh missing, the champions will have just one striker available. Similarly, out wide, Maeda and Yang’s jaunts to Qatar will cause Rodgers’ wing crisis to resurface.
Although Mikey Johnston bagged a brace at Dundee last week, the Irish gaffer will not want to rely on his fellow countryman, or James Forrest, to start potential title-defining games. Links to German winger Nicolas Kuhn are telling, and back up Rodgers’ sentiment that the planning is in place for Asian absentees.
