Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has given midfielder Matt O’Riley express instructions to add more goals to his game after reviewing the numbers of his first 18 months at the Bhoys.
Rodgers has made it clear he is a big fan of O’Riley, not just with his first two Scottish Premiership team selections, but also in new comments after the 3-1 win over Aberdeen on Sunday.
The Bhoys boss reckons there’s more to come from the midfielder, who has netted two goals already this term. Goalscoring could become a key feature of his game, when it wasn’t previously.
Brendan Rodgers eyes Matt O’Riley improvement
Rodgers said [The Scotsman]: “I like him, I like him a lot. I think he is a really intelligent footballer. Firstly as a professional, he is a top professional. He prepares his body well and he prepares his life well. He wants to do well.
“He sets his standards high every day to be better. When I looked at his numbers and everything else I think I said to him you need to score more goals as he didn’t do it enough.
“He was a bit like Jamesy Forrest when I first came into the club. He didn’t score enough for the talent he had and I was looking at Matt from last season and his first goal was in February. You can’t have that talent and be waiting that long.
“It is all about arriving in the areas and finding composure to finish. I really like him, his build up play is good, he takes the ball and he needs to work on his pressing and intensity, but he is a wonderful footballer and he is a good guy as well.”
O’Riley is certainly cutting a happy figure around the club at the moment. He’s enthusing about the new management regime in media interviews and backing that up with vibrant performances on the pitch.
The Danish U21 international was arguably the best player on the pitch at Pittodrie and looks set to become a firm fixture of Rodgers’ starting eleven.
If he can add more goals and intensity to his game over the coming months then, previously, we could have just been scratching the surface of what the 22-year-old can offer Celtic. The potential is strong and the desire to reach new levels matches the talent.
In other news, Strong Celtic interest in £7m deal after multiple scouting missions.
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