Celtic
First Celtic Player Called Up For Asian Cup; Surprising Inclusion
First Celtic Player Called Up For Asian Cup; Surprising Inclusion
The 2023 Asian Cup may pose several issues for Celtic. Some of Brendan Rodgers’ key men could be set to head to Qatar in January and miss some key games for The Bhoys.
It is expected the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, and Oh will all head to the Middle East, but the first confirmed Celtic player to be going to the tournament is Marco Tilio:
📋 BOUND FOR QATAR! ✈️🇶🇦
GRAHAM ARNOLD HAS NAMED HIS 26-PLAYER SQUAD FOR OUR #ASIANCUP2023 CAMPAIGN! 💪
📰 READ MORE: HTTPS://T.CO/N50HYXGMCC#SOCCEROOS PIC.TWITTER.COM/ZMC52E7FGP
— SUBWAY SOCCEROOS (@SOCCEROOS) DECEMBER 21, 2023
His inclusion in Graham Arnold’s 26-man Australia squad comes as much of a surprise considering he has made just two appearances for the Celts all season. The 22-year-old won’t be match sharp, but his manager thinks he can bring something to the table.
The Socceroos have somewhat of a favourable group consisting of Uzbekistan, India, and Syria. They will be expected to get out of their section and make it to the knockout rounds that run all the way until the 10th of February 2024, when the final takes place.
Celtic could be without Tilio for an extended timeframe but with his lack of minutes this season, it won’t be much of a blow for Rodgers and his team. Tilio has barely played under the Irishman despite being fit over the last few weeks and months.
This posed questions about his ability, yet his inclusion in Australia’s Asian Cup squad makes his Celtic exile all the more strange.
CELTIC’S £1m MYSTERY MAN
MYSTIFIED Celtic fans are still awaiting their first glimpse of South Korean midfielder Kwon Hyeon-kyu in competitive action.
Lazio 2-0 Celtic: Brendan Rodgers press…
The anchorman arrived in a £1million move – an initial £850,000 plus add-ons – from K-League outfit Busan IPark in July along with winger Yang Hyun-jun.
Under-21 international Kwon, with the reputation of a determined ball-winner in the middle of the park, played for 45 minutes in James Forrest’s Testimonial Match against Athletic Bilbao at Parkhead at the start of August on an evening Brendan Rodgers utilised 22 players of his first-team squad.
NOW YOU SEE ME…new Bhoy Kwon Hyeon-kyu proudly holds his Celtic jersey on July 25, the day after his arrival.
The 22-year-old enforcer also came on for Matt O’Riley in the 61st minute of the 1-1 draw with Wolves at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium a few days earlier.
Apart from that, there has been no sign of the Hoops’ mystery man although he was named in last weekend’s matchday squad for the home match against Hearts. That was only the fourth time time he has been stripped for action, but has yet to play a solitary minute for the Hoops.
Rodgers also ommitted Kwon from his 25-man squad that was registered with UEFA before the Champions League Group B meetings with Atletico Madrid, Lazio and Feyenoord.
It has become a bewildering situation without any likelihood of the midfielder, who signed a five-year contract in summer, edging closer to a first-team breakthrough.
Possibly next month’s transfer window will provide a solution.
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