Celtic’s Matt O’Riley has been called up to the Denmark squad. He’s a late replacement for the injured Brentford midfielder Christian Nørgaard for the forthcoming international double header.
Big chance to impress ahead of Euro2024
The Celtic Star initially missed out with the Denmark Head Coach Kasper Hjulmand explaining his reasons for omitting O’Riley earlier this week. It was a close call that went against the Celtic midfielder. But now he is set to get his big chance to impress ahead of Euro2024.
Denmark have fixtures against Switzerland and the Faroe Islands in the upcoming international break. And Matt O’Riley will be eager to get as many minutes as possible as he looks to make the biggest stage of the summer.
Full International Debut in Belfast
After breaking into the Denmark U21s after signing for Celtic, O’Riley went on to make his full international debut for the Danes in Belfast against Northern Ireland last November. So far this season O’Riley as scored 11 goals and had 14 assists for Celtic and was a top performer in the Champions League.
Atletico Madrid’s £18m bid was rejected
This led to Atletico Madrid tabling an £18m offer for the player in January. It was an initial loan with an obligation to buy in the summer. Celtic rejected this bid and are believed to be looking for over £25m for the player. However O’Riley’s form appears to have dipped since the return from the short winter break in January.
Earlier this week we reported on our sister site The Celtic Star, Hjulmand’s position on Matt O’Riley after he named his initial Denmark squad: “It is not impossible to make it to the Euros, even if you are not in the squad this time. There are talented players who have not been selected this time, but who have the opportunity to come to Germany.
It was a close selection
“There is also the possibility that I can take players to the Euros that I have never selected before, even if they are not with it this time. I have a few things in mind. It was a close selection.”
These quotes were supplied to us by our colleagues at Danish magazine Tipsbladet.
Matt O’Riley’s plan must be to shine for both Denmark in these two fixtures and to combine that with a return to his outstanding form in the first half of this season. That could see him playing a significant role in Celtic’s double quest and maybe even see him make a big impact at Euro2024.
