O’Riley banking on Jenz reunion being a triumph

CELTIC midfielder Matt O’Riley is hoping to make more happy football memories with his best friend by his side after being reunited with Moritz Jenz.

Defender Jenz (below) made a stunning impact on his debut last weekend, heading a vital late goal as the Parkhead club powered to a 3-1 win at Ross County.

O’Riley played a big role in his former Fulham youth team-mate joining him in Glasgow’s east end on loan from French side Lorient. And he can’t wait to see what the future holds for the pair at Parkhead.

O’Riley said: ‘I am really friendly with Moritz. We met each other at the age of 14 or 15 at Fulham, we played together for four years and then we both left. I didn’t actually see him again until he came to Celtic but we had stayed in touch.

‘Moritz went to Switzerland then France, while I went to League One with MK Dons. Then both of us signed for Celtic within a few months of each other.

‘It’s nice to be his teammate again. We shared a lot of good memories in the past and hopefully there are more to come at Celtic.’

O’Riley believes Jenz will go from strength to strength after impressing in Dingwall. He said: ‘It was a massive moment for the team and for Moritz personally.

‘I was so happy for him as I know how much it meant to him to score that goal. It was just nice to see him enjoying his football again. ‘Moritz will add a lot to the squad. He’s quick, strong and good in the air. He’s also composed on the ball. He has all the attributes to be a top Celtic player if he keeps improving — and hopefully he does.’ O’Riley has been delighted with Celtic’s six points from two Premiership games so far. But he expects a tough game against Kilmarnock tomorrow lunchtime on the plastic pitch at Rugby Park and warned his team-mates they may need to be patient and trust their style of play will eventually lead to a breakthrough. ‘It’s been a positive start to the season and we feel good,’ said O’Riley. ‘I’m enjoying it and I think we are all in a good place mentally and physically. You can see that in the way that we are playing. ‘It’s still early. There is a lot of football to be played but it’s been good. ‘At Celtic Park, it’s sometimes a bit easier to break teams down because of the way we play and the size of the pitch. But at other stadiums, we need to sometimes dig deep and find other ways to create chances. ‘All we can do is find solutions as games progress. We just need to play our stuff and hopefully it works.’