MATT O’RILEY believes that his decision to leave Fulham in January of last year and join MK Dons has been vindicated after Ange Postecoglou’s men sealed the Premiership title at Tannadice on Wednesday night.
The 21-year-old completed a move from the English third tier outfit to Parkhead in January and quickly endeared himself to his manager and the club’s fanbase with a string of impressive performances.
The central midfielder turned down a lucrative contract at Craven Cottage last year as he departed in search of regular first-team football and now that he has a Premiership winner’s medal – not to mention his breakthrough into the Denmark Under-21s side – O’Riley is confident he made the right call.
And while he had to pinch himself once or twice at Tannadice as the raucous traveling Celtic supporters saluted their heroes, he found the entire experience thoroughly enjoyable.
“It’s pretty surreal to be honest as it’s my first title in my career,” he said. ‘Being part of a club like this is just really cool for me and I’m really grateful for that. I can enjoy it now.
“It means everything. It’s what football is about isn’t it? When we hear these fans singing home and away it makes it even more special.
“Life has changed pretty quick, to be honest. In four months I’ve gone from playing in League One to winning the title here.
“I didn’t have any doubts to be honest. I wasn’t expecting to come to Celtic. I thought I was going to go somewhere else so when that chance came I jumped at it.
“Since then it’s been a pretty surreal experience. I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.
“I think [my decision has been vindicated]. I think every night playing for this club is good enough for me.
“Whether we’re winning the title or it’s a standard Premiership game, they are all the same for me. Playing for a club like Celtic is pretty cool I think.
“[I turned down Fulham’s offer] because I had belief in my own ability. It didn’t feel right for me to stay.
“I felt it was the right decision to pursue other options and to take matters into my own hands. It’s worked out well in the end I think.
“Anyone who believes in themselves and the people around you do, you can get where you want to be.”
O’Riley was quick to heap praise on his team-mates for the warm welcome he received when he first arrived at in Scotland but he says there is one player in particular who has been inspirational during his stint at the club: Callum McGregor.
The Celtic captain had a hard act to follow after taking on the armband from previous skipper Scott Brown but O’Riley insists the Scotland internationalist has taken on the extra responsibility in his stride.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him to be honest,” O’Riley said of McGregor. “On my first day here he was the first one to welcome me.
“He didn’t just welcome me in a cliched way – he came up to me and really made me feel part of the club from that first day.
“If it’s in training, he’s always setting the standards. He’s always one of the top three trainers and is usually one of the top three performers in every game to be honest. I think that says enough.
“The consistency he’s shown throughout the whole season shows how god a player he is and how good a person he is.
“In that changing room he’s the one who really gets us going as well.”
