Matt O’Riley has revealed that some of his Celtic teamates reckon that denmark could win the World Cup in Qatar later this year and the Celtic midfielder makes no secret of his own desire to make the jump from Under 21s to a call-up for the senior side ahead of the Denmark squad being announced for the finals.
Speaking to Danish media outlet Bold, as reported by Football Scotland, the former MK Dons midfielder has been a stand-out in Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side sign arriving at the club in the January transfer window and that form has seen plenty of interest emerge over the summer with the likes of Leicester City and Newcastle United the first names to emerge as contenders to sign the the player Postecoglou picked up for just £1.5m.
“I know that Leicester showed a lot of interest in me. And I think Newcastle were there too. But it didn’t matter that any of them made an offer. If there is no offer, then it is not very concrete in my head,” O’Riley said.
“I didn’t really think about it because nobody from Celtic told me that, for example, Newcastle had made an offer. It wasn’t like that. So there wasn’t much to think about, and a lot is also written in the media. It’s great to get some recognition, because it means that I’m doing well at Celtic. But as I say, Celtic is the perfect place for me right now.
“It’s a big club, we play in the Champions League, the fans are insanely good and the team is good. It’s a perfect place to be, and I also think it’s a good place to be if I want to go to the World Cup with Denmark.”
Matt O’Riley though is happy to focus on Celtic, where he’s getting Champions League level exposure that will have been noticed back in Denmark and may lead to a seat on that plane leaving for Qatar.
“I hope so, but if it doesn’t happen right now, that’s ok too. I still hope that I will be in the U21s or become part of the A national team. Personally, I think a lot about the World Cup, because I believe that there are opportunities for me to participate,” O’Riley said.
“If it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t, that’s ok too. I’m glad it’s being talked about as a possibility.”
There’s certainly no lack of belief in his own abilities from Matt O’Riley who also recognises the real quality that his national side has at the moment.
“In my own head, I’m good enough to join. But I think we have a lot of good players all over the pitch. I have seen the games against France and Croatia recently, where we played really well.
“I have also spoken to some friends from Celtic and they think that Denmark has some of the best chances to win the World Cup. If those things are said, then it is very exciting to be Dane,” Matt O’Riley revealed.
Lots to learn from last night.
Atmosphere was unbelievable..
Thank you Celts💚 pic.twitter.com/gmbQ0tuwK5— Matt O’Riley (@mattoriley8) September 7, 2022
