Oh Hyeon-gyu out for up to six weeks with calf injury

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Oh Hyeon-gyu out for up to six weeks with calf injury

Published: 10 Aug. 2023, 09:18 Updated: 10 Aug. 2023, 18:50

Oh Hyeon-gyu [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu has been ruled out for up to six weeks due to a calf injury sustained during a preseason game, manager Brendan Rodgers said Wednesday.

"Oh will probably be out for a few weeks,” Rodgers said in a press conference Wednesday. “He hurt his calf against Athletic Bilbao but he trained on. No one knew and he trained on.

“He was involved in the game at the weekend and then he trained on the Sunday. Afterwards he spoke to the medical team to say that he'd felt his calf and it's ended up that he's got a calf problem which might put him out for four to six weeks."

Oh spent the opening game of the 2023-24 Scottish Premiership on the bench last week, and is now likely to be sidelined until at least mid-September.

That absence will come as a big blow both to Oh and also to Celtic — after joining the club in January this year, Oh managed seven goals in 21 appearances across all competitions, including a brace in the final game of the season and a goal in the round of 16 of the Scottish FA Cup.

At 22, Oh has very little injury history and has never had to spend much time on the sidelines during his senior career. He spent a considerable spell off the pitch during his school days due to an ACL tear, but recovered well and has been able to play largely uninterrupted since then.

Oh is the most senior player Korean player at Celtic in terms of experience, having been joined just a couple of weeks ago by midfielders Yang Hyun-jun and Kwon Hyeok-kyu.

Yang, 21, joined Celtic from K League 1 club Gangwon FC, with Kwon, 22, jumping up from second-tier side Busan IPark.

Despite an increasingly crowded lineup at Celtic Park, Rodgers has kept all three Korean players with the senior squad. The trio were all on the bench for the opening game on Saturday, with Yang substituted on for the final 10 minutes.

Celtic won that game against Ross County 4-2, with all the goals coming before Yang stepped onto the pitch.

Although Oh is now sidelined, Yang and Kwon look likely to remain in the squad for the foreseeable future. Celtic will continue their Premiership campaign on Sunday as they take on Aberdeen at Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen for their first away game of the season.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]