Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley put in another excellent performance against Hearts at the weekend.
His perfectly timed volley from a sumptuous Luis Palma pass opened the scoring at Tynecastle, helping the Hoops to a comfortable 4-1 win.
Fans on X are ecstatic with how O’Riley has been performing at the start of this season, with some crediting manager Brendan Rodgers for getting the best out of him:
It’s unbelievable that Matt O’Riley is still only 22
Player of the year elect ⏳🇩🇰 pic.twitter.com/U84CA8NjdG
— Conor (@ConorM67_) October 22, 2023
Matt O’Riley is a different breed under Rodgers
— Emma (@EmmaEmm21) October 22, 2023
Matt O’Riley is on a new level under Rodgers.
— sean (@SE250_) October 22, 2023
Celtic’s movement gave Hearts all sorts of problems yesterday. Matt O’Riley continues to have a brilliant start to the season and has already scored more goals than last term. pic.twitter.com/qbuoNjjlkF
— Lisbon Lion (@tirnaog_09) October 23, 2023
To think he was without a club for 6 months 3 years ago
— Peter (@football98426) October 22, 2023
Brendan Rodgers has taken a very talented player and added them late runs in to the box to his game, like Petrov added at his best under O’neill. Made a huge difference
— Woody (@Woodybhoy67) October 23, 2023
O’Riley has found his scoring touch
We are near the end of October, and the Denmark Under 21 international is currently the Scottish Premiership’s top scorer with 6 goals.
Considering O’Riley only scored 4 times in the whole of last season, it not only demonstrates the player’s new-found scoring touch but also the fact that his position has changed slightly since the arrival of Rodgers.
Teams south of the border will be keeping tabs on the Celtic star
Premier League clubs such as Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United were reportedly watching O’Riley’s progress even before the start of this season.
It is, therefore, very likely that they are keeping an even closer eye on him following his most recent performances. Celtic will, of course, be determined to keep hold of one of their best players. He has only recently signed a new contract, protecting his value and you would hope that he won’t be sold for a fee below the club’s current record which was set by Kieran Tierney.
