Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley has shared he received special praise from experienced Anderlecht goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel in the wake of his debut for Denmark.
O’Riley featured in a defeat to Northern Ireland during the international break, playing for 61 minutes before being substituted in a 2-0 defeat.
Despite the disappointment of a debut loss, O’Riley appears to have impressed the Danish camp and Schmeichel made sure that he was given a shoutout in the dressing room following the fixture.
Matt O’Riley impresses Denmark teammates
The Celtic midfielder explained [Scottish Daily Mail, 24/11 print edition]: “After the game, I felt disappointed because of the outcome but I was maybe being quite hard on myself, as I can be in moments like that. I tend to be a bit more emotional than logical.
“I got really nice feedback from Kasper Schmeichel. As a debutant, he stood up and spoke about me after the game and said some really nice words about my time in the camp. He said he felt I did well in the game and it meant a lot. It made it extra nice that he said it in front of everyone, too.”
O’Riley is having a stunning season with the Bhoys, scoring six goals and assisting seven more. Chris Sutton has declared him the best player in Scotland right now while Fabrizio Romano reckons he has a transfer value in excess of £25m.
Now, after Denmark qualified for next year’s European Championships, he has extra incentive to stay consistent.
His presence is far from guaranteed at the Euros but he has a good shout now, especially if he can keep himself injury-free and continue impressing at Celtic.
O’Riley, for now, will be fully focused on his performances with the Bhoys. There’s a very heavy schedule ahead and he knows that he has to keep himself in the headlines to march on with an ambitious career plan.
In other news, Brendan Rodgers definitively explains the transfer process at Celtic, why Mark Lawwell is needed.
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