Ki Sung-yeung says Hyeongyu Oh can go to him if he needs any advice on how to handle life at Celtic.
But he doubts his countryman will need it as he already has all the tools to be a Scottish Premiership smash-hit. Ange Postecoglou signed Oh as he planned for Giorgos Giakoumakis' exit and with the Greek now confirmed as an Atlanta United player, Oh is officially the understudy to Kyogo. The 21-year-old has been used off the bench three times so far though can hardly be faulted for failing to find the back of the net with just 34 minutes on the pitch.
He joins an exclusive club of South Koreans to have played for the Hoops and revealed when he signed that Ki, who made 87 appearances for the club and still plays in the K-League, was one of his footballing idols. The 34-year-old is now back at FC Seoul following further spells at Newcastle United, Sunderland and Mallorca and has been previewing the start of the K-League which kicks off later this month. And he admitted he was delighted to see Oh follow in his footsteps at Celtic.
Ki said: "I think Oh Hyeon-gyu is a player with huge potential. He doesn’t have much experience in the K-League, but I believe he will show he is capable of making the leap to a higher level. I don’t have a relationship with Oh as I don't know him personally, but I have watched him and he is a player with good physical attributes and speed.
"He is a young guy who is full of confidence in his own ability and energy. I read what he said about me when he signed for Celtic and that was an honour. Celtic are a club with incredible fans. Every time I played there I was amazed by the atmosphere, I can never forget it. It was a really good experience for me.
"Everything will be very different for him, as it was for me - the language, climate, and teammates. So it will be difficult for him to adapt at first. It's important for him to accept this and keep calm about it and realise it will take time to adjust to his new surroundings on and off the pitch.
"But in Europe, you have to be proactive and not passive. He can certainly contact me if he has any questions about settling in there in Scotland."
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