DENMARK under-21 head coach Jesper Sorensen believes it is only a matter of time before Matt O’Riley makes a move to the English Premier League amid interest from Newcastle United.
The Celtic midfielder was scouted by Newcastle as he scored against Croatia for the Danish under-21 side during the week, and Sorensen says that anyone watching the match couldn’t fail to be impressed by the contribution of O’Riley.
And while he stressed that Celtic is a wonderful environment for O’Riley to continue improving his game, his performance for Ange Postecoglou’s side against Real Madrid proved that he can already cut it at the very top level, and that his rapid rise over the past year will eventually lead him back south of the border.
“I could definitely see that,” Sorensen said.
“Look at the steps he has been taking here and with Celtic, and also in the last six months with MK Dons.
“When you are a young player that makes such a huge leap in one year - while it won’t always go like that - I think you will see him progress further.
“He has an extremely good mentality, he always wants to improve. He always asks for information, he is always focused on what information we can give him and he can cope with the information given to him.
“He adapts very well, so why not? Why shouldn’t he be able to play in the Premier League?
“He is already playing for a very good team, and I can see why teams would be interested in him.
“I also think Matt has great durability, he is rarely injured. He is mature, he has a great mentality, he has great skills, a great passing range and a very good shot.
“The rest he will continue to improve, and I predict he will go to the top level.
“One of the things about Matt is that on a technical level, he is actually able to show that ability at such a very high level against a team like Real Madrid.
“I believe he was one of the players who was actually able to control the pace and control the ball in that game. That was very good.”
