Oh Hyeon-gyu rumored to be in talks for Celtic exit to Genk

The possible transfer to the Belgian club, helmed by Thorsten Fink — who led Hamburger SV with Son Heung-min — comes after Oh was shut out of the end of Celtic's season and days after he ticked off Scotland fans for appearing to support England.

Celtic forward Oh Hyeon-gyu is in action during a match against Dundee United in Dundee, Scotland on Jan. 29, 2023. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Celtic’s sidelined forward Oh Hyeon-gyu might soon be on his way out of Glasgow and headed for a pitch he’ll actually get to touch, with Belgian media reporting a possible transfer.

Belgian club KRC Genk reportedly made an initial offer to bring the 23-year-old over to the Belgian Pro League, according to Dutch-language newspaper Het Belang van Limburg on Wednesday.

Genk ended the 2023-24 Belgian Pro League in sixth place on the 16-team table. If Oh moves to Genk, he'll play under German manager Thorsten Fink, who previously coached Korean national team and Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min at the Bundesliga’s Hamburger SV and was tapped to lead the Belgian club earlier this month.

Korea's Oh Hyeon-gyu, left, vies for the ball during a match against Peru at the Asiad Main Stadium in Busan on the June 16, 2023. [YONHAP]

While Oh got regular playing time in his first season in Glasgow, he was essentially shut out of this year’s closing stretch.

He joined Celtic in the middle of the 2022-23 Scottish Premiership season on a five-year deal under then-manager Ange Postcecoglou, now the boss at Tottenham.

Oh made a total of 21 appearances for Celtic across all competitions in his first season, scoring seven goals to help lift the team to three titles, winning the Scottish Premiership, the Scottish FA Cup and the Scottish League Cup.

Celtic celebrate winning the 2022-23 Scottish FA Cup. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

But his sophomore season at Celtic took a different turn. Postecoglou left for the Premier League and in came manager Brendan Rodgers, who gave Oh playing time in 19 straight league matches — though mostly as a sub — then cut him from the squad for the majority of the rest of the season.

Oh has also missed out on a chunk of national team action. He made Jurgen Klinsmann’s roster for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup earlier this year but was not called up for the four remaining matches in the second World Cup qualifying round, in March and in June.

If Oh does move to Genk, he would join KAA Gent’s Hong Hyun-seok in the Belgian Pro League. The 2023-24 season ended earlier this month, and the 2024-25 season begins in late July.

The transfer rumors come at a slightly soured time for Oh’s relationship with Celtic fans.

Oh shared a photo of himself wearing an England shirt in an Instagram story this week as he left a 7-Eleven drinking sikhye, a Korean rice drink, outing himself for wearing enemy garb and drawing the ire of the more militant end of the Celtic fanbase.

Oh Hyeon-gyu shares a photo on Instagram wearing an England shirt, stirring controversy among Scotland fans. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Scotland fans blasted Oh for appearing to support England, their oldest international football rivals.

Korea's Yang Hyun-jun and Kwon Hyeok-kyu are also on the Celtic lineup, though Kwon was loaned out to St. Mirren during the 2023-24 season and the club is rumored to be seeking a permanent deal.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]