Celtic target Oh Hyeon-gyu has revealed he asked to complete his military service as early as possible...so he could concentrate on winning a move to Europe in his football career.
The Hoops have been strongly linked with a £3 million move for the 21-year-old Suwon Samsung Bluewings striker, who won his first cap for South Korea in November, but missed out on the World Cup after being cut from the preliminary squad when Tottenham hero Son Heung-min recovered in time from a fractured eye socket. Oh has made it clear he's desperate for his club to accept Celtic's offer and allow him to move during this month's transfer window.
All South Korean men are required to complete at least 18 months of military service before they are 28 and the conscription has hampered many of their players' hopes of going to Europe. But Oh made sure he went into the army in 2020 so he would be free to move to Europe. In an interview outlining his stint in the South Korean military, Oh explained: "I was a sergeant in the army and was discharged in 2021.
"I know it's much younger than a lot of my friends, but I wanted to complete it as early as I could, I enlisted as young as I could at 18. I admit I was envious of my friends at the time who decided to leave it until later. But the reason was so that it would give me the best chance to be a success in my football career and eventually move to Europe.
"Now when I look at my friends and they still have to contemplate their 18 months of military service, I am delighted I got mine done as quickly as possible.
"Since I returned, I feel I am getting stronger and stronger and a better player. I scored a hat-trick against FC Seoul and beat my own personal targets I set for myself."
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