Celtic favourite Matt O’Riley was a surprise signing for Marseille.
It was just 18 months ago when he became Celtic’s record sale, leaving Brendan Rodgers’ side to join Brighton for a fee potentially rising to £30 million.
He was on the receiving end of a horror tackle just minutes into his Seagulls career, leading O’Riley to struggle to find momentum in his first season in England.
Despite starting Brighton’s first two Premier League games of the season, he completed a loan move to Marseille on deadline day of the last transfer window.
O’Riley’s time at L’OM has been hot and cold so far, as have his new club’s opinion on his future.
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Marseille make decision on Celtic hero Matt O’Riley
Marseille currently sit third in Ligue 1, behind European champions PSG and Odsonne Edouard’s Lens.
Last week, O’Riley missed a penalty against PSG in the shootout of the Trophee des Champions.
READ MORE: Odsonne Edouard says Lens ‘energy’ reminds him of Celtic as dream season takes shape
He isn’t currently a starter for Roberto De Zerbi’s side, playing backup to Geoffrey Kondogbia and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
So does he have a future at the Velodrome? Earlier in the season, La Provence reported that Marseille’s president and sporting director discussed the idea of terminating the loan early, as they were concerned about whether O’Riley was what the side needed.
However, Get French Football News now report that they will stick with him until the end of the season, with the club viewing the issue as ‘one of profile rather than form’.
The report also says that club officials view him as a similar profile to Adrien Rabiot – Hoops fans may remember him being raved about for his performance at Celtic Park for PSG in 2017.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has insisted that O’Riley remains in his long-term plans, despite facilitating his loan move.
So any Celtic fans still dreaming of a potential reunion at some point in the near future may need to wait for another while yet.
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Roberto De Zerbi on Matt O’Riley at Celtic
De Zerbi knew O’Riley from his time in Glasgow, and speaking after the signing was completed, was full of praise for his Celtic spell.
He said: Speaking about O’Riley after his first few games in France, boss De Zerbi waxed lyrical over his Celtic spell, saying: “He played very well at Celtic and Brighton.
“He was courted in other leagues and by Champions League teams. He’s a strong, serious player, he understands football.
“He had a good game against Madrid because he was always with his back to goal. The more we progressed, the more we felt him on the pitch.
“He’s the player who runs the most on our team. He’s Danish and he gets along with Hojbjerg. He does simple things in the right way.
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