Yang gets special offer as Celtic star sees South Korea boss pull out all the stops in Olympic bid

South Korea Olympics boss Hwang Seon-hong insists he remains hopeful Celtic will give him the green light to include Yang Hyun-jun in this month's Under 23s Asian Cup.

And he would allow special dispensation for Yang and his other overseas players to arrive just three days before the start of the tournament - which doubles up as Olympic qualifiers - in Qatar. South Korea are aiming to qualify for their tenth Olympic football tournament in a row and named Yang in their squad for the Asian Under 23 Finals, which starts for them with a game against UAE on April 16.

But Celtic are under no obligation to release the player because the matches do not fall under the FIFA calendar. However, boss Hwang, who is also the interim manager of the full squad after South Korea axed Jurgen Klinsmann, has underlined how important it is for him that they are allowed to use the Hoops starlet and four other foreign-based players - Stoke City midfielder Bae Jun-ho, Brentford defender Kim Ji-soo, Minnesota United midfielder Jeong Sang-bin, and Fortuna Dusseldorf midfielder Kim Min-woo.

He said: "There are many variables about the overseas players, but we will prepare with hope. We will also think about other options a little bit. I think I have to do it. We have selected the best players. The overseas players would join up three days before the first game so they could play in the weekend for their clubs.

"I have been told Bae Jun-ho is waiting for an answer from Stoke City. The other overseas players, I have heard nothing saying they won't be in Qatar. I’m trying to make a decision quickly, but it’s difficult to give a definite answer right now. It would be an incredible achievement to qualify for a tenth time in a row and I need my best