Matt O’Riley will have made his Danish born Mum one proud parent today, as Celtic’s January signing from MK Dons has been confirmed as a call-up to the Denmark Under-21 national squad for the Euros qualifier with Belgium.

O’Riley who is eligible for England, Norway and Denmark made his feelings clear last month that Denmark was very much his first choice, and admitted he even had his eyes on an outside shout at making the full Danish squad for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

Former Celt Morten Weighorst, who is on the Danish coaching staff, was sent on a recent scouting mission to run the rule over O’Riley, who although the Danes were aware of when the player was with MK Dons, recent performances for Celtic at a higher level, including European exposure have now satisfied the Danish coaching staff that O’Riley is a player in the ascendency and one very much worth taking a closer look at. Matt will now get his opportunity at Under 21 level initially, however should he impress those dreams of playing at the upcoming World Cup may not be beyond his reach.

As quoted in Daily Record, Weighorst had this to say on O’Riley prior to his call-up. “First and foremost, Matt has to make up his mind whether he wants to play for Denmark. If any player who has that possibility, like Matt has through his mum who’s Danish, I’d always support it.

“He’s got the ability to be in contention. But the player’s heart has got to be in it, the player needs to want to play for his country. The head coach is in touch with Matt so we’ll see. No disrespect to MK Dons but he’s at a higher level now, he has a higher profile playing in front of 60,000 fans at Celtic and in Europe.

“He will definitely develop in the coming seasons and he’s slotted in well so far.”

In a week where young Ben Doak has decided his footballing aspirations may be better served at Liverpool rather than Celtic, perhaps Matt O’Riley’s near immediate international recognition will serve as an example of the regard playing for Celtic is held in international circles. And if your dream is to make the most of your career, win trophies and represent your country then Celtic may well help you realise those ambitions.

Niall J

🇩🇰 | Matt O’Riley

Congratulations to @mattoriley8 after being named in the Denmark U21 squad ahead of their Euro U21 qualifier vs Belgium later this month 👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/0qJmtmqJ4M

— Everything Celtic (@aboutceltic) March 15, 2022