Jurgen Klinsmann hails Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu ‘a very special talent’ after Rugby Park scouting mission

Ange Postecoglou reckons Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu will play a big part of new South Korea head coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s national team set-up going forward after embarking on his latest scouting mission.

The former Germany striker was in attendance to assess the Hoops frontman in action during the 4-1 thrashing over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, but the 22-year-old wasn’t able to add to the league leaders four first-half goals after coming on as a half-time substitute for Kyogo Furuhashi.

Klinsmann described Oh as a “very special talent” before kick-off in an interview with Sky Sports. He added: “I had him with me in the last two matches when we played Colombia and Uruguay and he left a very, very positive impression. If you have the opportunity to play for a massive club like Celtic, it’s not easy for young players. he’s fighting for minutes, but it’s a big learning curve.”

Hoops boss Postecoglou admitted he had a brief chat with Klinsmann at full-time ahead of naming his squad for the forthcoming Asia Cup after being appointed as manager in February.

The Australian told BBC Scotland: “He’s real excited about his new adventure. I know that part of the world really well and I think he’ll enjoy coaching the Korea national team. They’ve got some great players.

“It was good to get the big fellow 45 minutes. He had to work hard today, had some physical battles and unlucky not to score off a great move. He’ll keep developing, he’ll keep improving and he (Jurgen) is keen to keep tracking him. I’m sure he’ll be a key part of Jurgen’s set-up.”

Postecoglou admitted that his three changes to the starting line-up were due to a combination of injury niggles and concerns about Kilmarnock’s artificial surface.

Matt O’Riley’s brace and further goals from Kyogo Furuhashi - his 29th of the season - and Daizen Maeda wrapped up maximum points in style, with Liam Donnelly netting a consolation for the home side.