Former Celtic playmaker Matt O’Riley is in line for a crucial opportunity at Brighton as he looks to establish himself in the English Premier League following a frustrating start to life on the south coast.
O’Riley, who made a £25million summer switch from Celtic, has found minutes hard to come by, making just five league starts so far.
His transition was hampered by an ankle injury suffered just minutes into his debut during a Carabao Cup clash with Crawley Town last August.
Since then, the Denmark international has struggled to force his way into the starting XI, with Brighton’s record signing Georginio Rutter proving to be the preferred option in the No. 10 role.
However, a significant opportunity has now arisen for O’Riley after Rutter suffered an ankle injury during the FA Cup penalty shoot-out defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Brighton boss Fabian Hürzeler has confirmed the Frenchman could be ruled out for the season, opening the door for O’Riley to finally make his mark.
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“He [O’Riley] is in great shape,” said Hürzeler. “He had some great training sessions. He made a great impression. It's also a positive thing that all these players who didn't play so much this season have a big motivation.
"They have a big energy, and I think exactly these kind of characters, with this energy inside of them, we need for the rest of the season. I'm happy that he's there.”
While O’Riley appears to be in contention for a starting spot throughout the season run-in, Hürzeler also highlighted other potential options to replace Rutter, including £25m summer recruit Brajan Gruda, as well as Yasin Ayari and Diego Gomez.
“I'm happy that Brajan Gruda’s there and I'm sure that they will be good replacements for Georgi,” added Hürzeler. “We see more an opportunity and a chance because we always were able to replace the players who were injured. It's another chance for Brajan Gruda, another chance for Matt O’Riley.”
Celtic fans will be watching closely as O’Riley aims to replicate the form that made him a standout performer during his two-and-a-half seasons at Parkhead .
The 24-year-old was a key figure in Celtic’s domestic dominance, playing a pivotal role in their title-winning campaign last timeout, with an incredible 19 goals and 18 assists.
While his Brighton adventure has yet to take off, the coming weeks could provide the breakthrough he has been waiting for.
