Matt O’Riley has had a frantic start to his Celtic career. Signed in mid-January, he was almost immediately thrown into the deep end of life in Scottish football.
The midfielder made his debut away to Hearts at Tynecastle and one week later was a starter in the incredible derby win over Rangers at Celtic Park.
O’Riley was a top performer that night and gave a glimpse of his potential in a Celtic shirt.
For Peter Grant, who helped develop and coach the 21-year-old at Fulham, it was wonderful to see. And the former Celtic hero reckons the Englishman is only going to get better at the Bhoys.
Speaking to 67 Hail Hail, Grant said: “He’s got the opportunity at a massive club. I know the way he speaks about it, wow, he’s got 60,000 people watching him week in week out desperate for him to do well.
“The way the derby turned out for him was perfect – Celtic winning, full of Celtic supporters, performing the way he did. Nothing gets any better for you than that.
“I was delighted for him that Celtic supporters have seen the kind of player he is. He’s only going to get better. He’s only going to get stronger. He’ll get better with the number of games he plays, the bigger competitions he plays in, cup finals, fighting for league titles. All these things will make him a better player.
“You can tell by the way he talks about the game and the way he talks about life in general, he’s got a level head on him and he’s a willing listener. That’s what he’s always been and that stands him in fantastic stead to keep improving.”
Grant had plenty more to say to us about Celtic and O’Riley in an extensive interview which you can watch on our YouTube channel.
He speaks with warmth about coaching O’Riley at a young age and his surprise that he was let go from Fulham.
It’s clear that Grant reckons he has the stuff to make it at Celtic, not just in terms of his quality as a footballer but also in personality.
There’s no doubt he’s still settling into Scottish football but I can’t wait to see what we get from him between now and the end of the season.
In other news, Now’s not the time to forget the truth about Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic.
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