Oh Hyeon-gyu returns from injury for Old Firm derby win

Oh Hyeon-gyu made his first appearance of the 2023-24 Scottish Premiership season on Sunday, returning after a month on the sidelines for the final 15 minutes of the Old Firm derby as Celtic beat Rangers 1-0.

Rangers' John Souttar, left, and Celtic's Oh Hyeon-gyu battle for the ball during a Scottish Premiership match at the Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow on Sunday. [AP/YONHAP]

Oh Hyeon-gyu made his first appearance of the 2023-24 Scottish Premiership season on Sunday, returning after a month on the sidelines for the final 15 minutes of the Old Firm derby as Celtic beat Rangers 1-0.

Oh came on in the 76th minute for Kyogo Furuhashi, resuming the regular swap between the two forwards that was common throughout the second half of last season. Furuhashi, the Scottish Premiership top scorer last season, scored the sole goal in Sunday’s game in stoppage time at the end of the first half.

Oh joined Korean midfielder Yang Hyun-jun on the pitch, with the younger player also coming on as a substitute in the 66th minute.

With Oh out with an injury so far this season, Sunday’s game also marked the first time that two Korean players have appeared for Celtic together in a Scottish Premiership game since Cha Du-ri and Ki Sung-yueng joined forces in Glasgow from 2010 to 2012.

Oh joined Celtic in January this year and got off to a fast start in Scotland, scoring seven goals in 21 appearances across all competitions last season. Yang joined after a protracted fight with his old club Gangwon FC to get them to approve the transfer, with Kwon Hyeok-kyu also added to the roster this summer.

Kwon is yet to make a league appearance for Celtic, but Yang has become a regular substitute pick. The 21-year-old has appeared in every Celtic game so far this season. With the Premiership now breaking for two weeks for the international break, Oh and Yang are both set to join head coach Jurgen Klinsmann with the Korean national team as they take on Wales on Thursday and Saudi Arabia on Sept. 12.

All three players would have also been eligible to compete for Korea at the upcoming Asian Games — where countries will compete with U-24 teams this year — but the tournament falls outside of the international break.

Celtic will be back in action on Sept. 16 as they take on Dundee in the Scottish Premiership, before beginning their UEFA Champions League campaign three days later on Sept. 19 against Dutch side Feyenoord at De Kuip in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

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