Denmark poised to hand O’Riley international call-up

MATT O’RILEY is set to crown his impressive start to life at Celtic with an international call-up for Denmark.

Danish assistant manager Morten Wieghorst was at Parkhead to watch O’Riley in action against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night and has confirmed that the midfielder is in contention for inclusion.

Accompanying former Celts player Wieghorst was Under-21 coach Jesper Sorensen, who held talks with O’Riley on Friday to establish his willingness to commit.

Also eligible to play for England and Norway, Hounslow-born O’Riley qualifies through his Danish mother and admits he would be honoured to accept an invitation to commit.

He said: ‘I spoke to the Under-21s manager, he is a nice guy and I’m speaking with them again to see what the plan is.

‘My mum’s dad is also Norwegian, so I could play for Norway but I wouldn’t say I feel too Norwegian. It’s probably Denmark or England.

‘Obviously I am half-Danish so it’s something I am interested in. I can speak a decent amount of the language and I can understand most of

it which is positive. I do like the country. If they did call me up, I would be very honoured.’

A product of Fulham’s youth academy, O’Riley rejected a contract at Craven Cottage in 2020 and was a free agent for six months before signing for League One side MK Dons.

He moved to Celtic in January and has made an instant impact, impressing on his debut away to Hearts and also in the 3-0 defeat of Rangers that saw Ange Postecoglou’s side go top of the Premiership table.

Although his performance in Thursday’s Europa Conference League first-leg defeat was O’Riley’s poorest since moving to Glasgow, Wieghorst saw enough to suggest he can add to the Danes’ talent pool.

He said: ‘Bodo made it hard for Celtic and Matt but he showed in glimpses that he’s got a very good left foot and is good on the ball.

‘He and the team had a difficult night but there’s no better place to be. He’s playing under pressure here, there’s expectations and when things are not going well, the fans will let the players know.

‘People in the association have been aware of him longer than I have. I have watched all his games so far (at Celtic) and he’s done really well. He looks composed.

‘Out of the games I’ve seen, Thursday has been the most difficult for the team and that affects the individual but he’s done very well.

‘He’s got good vision, a very nice left foot, he sees passes, he got his goal the other week there.

‘No disrespect to Milton Keynes but this is a higher level, a higher profile, playing in front of 60,000 here, playing in Europe — hopefully for even longer than this tie.

‘He will definitely develop over the coming seasons and he’s slotted in well. He looks like a player who’s enjoying being out there and that’s important.

‘He’s got the ability definitely to be in contention to play for the Under-21s and then take it from there. The No1 thing is the player’s heart has got to be in it.

‘Matt has to make up his mind whether he wants to go with Denmark or not. The decision has not been made yet as far as I am aware — but we’ll wait and see.

‘Jesper’s in touch, the head coach is in touch with the player and we’ll see.’

O’Riley could be called up for the Danish Under-21s’ next game against Belgium in March but admits he has ambitions of representing the full side at the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Kasper Hjulmand’s side topped Scotland’s qualifying section to get to the finals and O’Riley aims to prove his credentials by playing for Celtic in next season’s Champions League.

He added: ‘That’s definitely an aim in the back of my head, I will be honest.

‘Some people would say it’s a long shot but, at the same time, I’m playing for Celtic and hopefully next season we are in a bigger competition, the Champions League.

‘Hopefully that gets me recognition to get onto the international stage.

‘They have a very good team and that’s why, in my head, it’s not a bad option. They are a strong side and they showed that at the Euros and in the World Cup (qualifiers).

‘I can only take it game by game here and, hopefully, the rest takes care of itself.’