Young forward thankful to have own number with nat'l team

Sports 11:55 March 21, 2023

By Yoo Jee-ho

PAJU, South Korea, March 21 (Yonhap) -- In just a few months, South Korean forward Oh Hyeon-gyu has gone from not even having his own uniform on the men's national football team to possibly getting a start ahead of more seasoned veterans in friendly matches.

Fate in sports can change rapidly, and the 21-year-old forward for the top Scottish club Celtic is experiencing it firsthand.

South Korean forward Oh Hyeon-gyu speaks to reporters at the National Football Center in Paju, some 30 kilometers northwest of Seoul, before a training session on March 21, 2023. (Yonhap)

Oh traveled to Qatar with the national team for last year's FIFA World Cup, but he was only picked as a potential injury replacement for captain Son Heung-min, who was dealing with serious facial fractures. Son ended up playing the entire tournament wearing a protective mask, and Oh, who couldn't even be on the bench for matches, ended up serving as a practice partner, a cheerleader and an occasional water boy.

Under new head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, Oh made the 25-man squad for upcoming friendlies against Colombia and Uruguay, and will get his own kit, complete with a number on his back.

"I didn't have a number at the World Cup, even though I was with the team. I am grateful that I will wear my own number this time," Oh told reporters Tuesday before a training session at the National Football Center in Paju, some 30 kilometers northwest of Seoul. "I don't really have a preferred number. It's an honor just to be on the national team."

In this Reuters file photo from Feb. 26, 2023, Oh Hyeon-gyu of Celtic (R) battles Ben Davies of Rangers for the ball during the Scottish League Cup Final at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. (Yonhap)

Oh earned his first international cap on Nov. 11 against Iceland, South Korea's last tune-up match before the World Cup. Then head coach Paulo Bento saw enough promise in the budding forward to take him to Qatar, and Klinsmann, a legendary attacker from his playing days, may just give Oh an extended look this time.

With the two mainstay forwards, Hwang Ui-jo of FC Seoul and Cho Gue-sung of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, off to slow starts in the K League 1, Oh certainly merits consideration. In 10 matches in all competitions for Celtic since joining them in January, Oh has netted three goals.

"I haven't given much thought to the internal competition," Oh said of possibly moving ahead of Hwang and Cho on the depth chart. "I feel like I've taken a step forward over the past year or so. I want to show the new coaching staff what I am capable of."

Oh said he has adjusted to life in Scotland fairly well. He has picked up enough English to carry conversations with his Celtic teammates, and though living abroad for the first time can be lonely at times, Oh said he doesn't mind spending some time alone.

Sporting new highlights in his hair, Oh said: "In Korea, you may get some looks if you dye your hair. But people don't really care over there (in Scotland). I've been doing things I've always wanted to do."