“If we thought he had no interest from him, he wouldn’t be on the list,” Danish FA’s talent development manager on Matt O’Riley’s international prospects…
We need to find a Scottish Granny..quickly…
Matt O’Riley came across as an incredibly self-assured and confident young man at yesterday’s Celtic Fan Media press conference and the midfielder who already has a goal and three assists since joining in January from MK Dons, in a steal of a £1.5m transfer deal, was keen to point out his willingness to represent Denmark at the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
O’Riley confirmed he qualifies through his Danish mother, is comfortable with the language, and admitted he had already had thoughts, now at a club with the profile of Celtic, that he could push himself into contention ahead of the World’s biggest international tournament –
“I played for England youth teams, but at the same time I do feel quite Danish. My mum’s Danish, I can speak a decent amount, I can understand a very good amount so in that sense I don’t think it’s something that’s out of the question at all. And if I did get a call-up from Denmark then I don’t think I’d be saying no.”
Now it seems O’Riley can be assured he is very much on the radar of the Danish national side as the Danish FA’s talent development manager, Flemming Berg, as reported by Daily Record, has confirmed that O’Riley has already trained with the Danish international youth teams.
“We have had contact with Matt. He informed us, along with his agent and his family, that he would be interested in playing for Denmark. He is part of our talent pool now. If we thought he had no interest from him, he wouldn’t be on the list. Matt has also been to training sessions with the youth national teams on several occasions.”
According to The Analyst.com since the turn of the year, no player has created as many chances for teammates as the former England youth international – both overall (20) and from open play (18), and with a level of statistics that caught the eye of Liverpool ahead of his January move to Celtic, a continuation of the form Matt O’Riley has exhibited already in his burgeoning Celtic career, may well force him into the reckoning for a Danish international call-up and an incredible opportunity to represent his mother’s home country at the upcoming World Cup.
Niall J
