Matt O’Riley has certainly been grabbing the headlines over the last few weeks. His goalscoring performances for Celtic have earned him praise from all quarters of the Celtic fans and the media.
But as well as being busy on the park, O’Riley has been active off it. Young Arsenal striker, Mika Biereth, has joined Motherwell on loan this season and the 20-year-old has revealed how O’Riley has helped him settle into life in Scotland.
Biereth said [The Herald], “I had a good amount of loan options. But after speaking to the gaffer here, I felt it was a no-brainer.
“Just in terms of how Motherwell play, how I’d fit into it. I feel that was a little glimpse into how it can go.
“I spoke to Matt O’Riley. We were at Fulham before and both played for the Danish youth team.
“So since I’ve been here, I’ve texted him loads. He’s helped me out where to stay in Glasgow, where to go and eat and all that sort of stuff.
“Matt’s been really useful. I saw he scored as well, so I’ve sent him a little message.”
It’s a nice touch from O’Riley. The Celtic midfielder knows all too well how tough it can be moving to a new country after his move to Glasgow in 2022.
It’s obvious that Biereth and O’Riley have struck up a good friendship considering they crossed paths already at various points in their careers.
When O’Riley arrived at Celtic from the third tier of English football, he himself was just 21 at the time. So he is only too aware of how difficult it can be to settle in Scotland as a young footballer.
And, it seems to have helped. Biereth got off to a storming start to his Motherwell loan spell after he helped The Steelmeen overcome Hibs 2-1 with a goal and an assist on his debut.
It seems that O’Riley is receiving praise from all quarters this morning after Celtic boss, Brendan Rodgers’ comments this morning. Long may it continue.
In other news, “He’s a good technician”; Pat Bonner’s verdict is forming on Celtic summer signing
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