MATT O’Riley has spoken of his special on-field relationship with “nice man” Kyogo Furuhashi and told his Celtic team mates they need to supply the prolific striker with even better service up front in future.
On-form playmaker O’Riley set up Furuhashi for his ninth goal of the 2023/24 season in the first half of the cinch Premiership rout of Aberdeen at Parkhead on Saturday.
The Japanese internationalist, who later suffered a head knock which ruled him out of his country’s World Cup qualifiers with Myanmar and Syria, was visibly appreciative of the assist.
He pointed at the Dane and urged the crowd to cheer and applaud him instead.
The former Fulham and Milton Keynes Dons midfielder confessed that he enjoys playing alongside the forward who Celtic signed from Vissel Kobe for £4.6m back in 2021 and has a good understanding of his game.
However, the 6ft 2in 22-year-old feels the man who has finished the past two seasons as the Glasgow club’s leading goalscorer could receive even more passes in the final third from those around him than is currently the case.
“I think probably 70 per cent of the assists I have for Celtic have been for him. That shows how good he is to play with and how easy it is to play with him. His movement’s top class.
“I actually think we need to use his runs a little bit more because his movement’s so good. He deserves the ball to be given to him because he works hard to create the space for himself.
“We need to keep utilising him because he’s our best goalscorer and that would be helpful going forward.”
O’Riley believes the 6-0 triumph against Aberdeen, who beat Rangers 3-1 at Ibrox in the league at the end of September, shows Celtic have the strength in depth they need to maintain their title push when club football resumes.
He is even optimistic that they can give a far better account of themselves in their final two European group games against Lazio away in Rome and Feyenoord in Glasgow.
“It was the perfect response to midweek,” he said. “I think a result like that was pending in the league, to be honest. We’ve put in enough good performances and it was time, with the utmost respect, that we gave someone a real doing. There were a lot of chances created and it could’ve been more. It was needed.
“I shanked one from about three yards, so was a questionable finish. But we were on it right from the start with our runs in behind. We let them know they were going to be in for a game right from the start and we maintained that level throughout.
“Our approach is always the same. Some days you get a little luckier than others in front of goal. Sometimes an early goal against teams who have five at the back and who are trying to stop you kills their game plan. We score one, score two and they have to come out a little bit and that creates a little more space."
