Matt O’Riley shone last night as Celtic stormed to a 4-0 victory over DC United in the first game of their US tour.
The Dane bagged a first-half brace, amply setting the Bhoys on their way to victory.
O’Riley now has three goals in his first two friendly appearances of the new season, failing to let transfer speculation faze him.
The 23-year-old has been the centre of interest from several big clubs this summer. Atletico Madrid, Inter, Liverpool, and Atalanta have all been linked with O’Riley, the latter having a cheeky bid of £15m plus add-ons rejected.
Despite the outside noise, O’Riley has kept his head down and focused on Celtic. Manager Brendan Rodgers is happy with how he is dealing with the situation.
“His (O’Riley’s) attitude has been first class”, he said (@lhenry019 on X).
“There’s absolutely been no change in Matt’s demeanor. I think he knows the privileges of playing for Celtic and he knows what Celtic has given him.
“It’s not a burden for him to be at Celtic, he has developed into a fantastic player.”
O’Riley’s attitude has always been top-notch throughout his time in Glasgow.
Whether it be his willingness to improve, level-headedness amid top form, or his current calm temperament despite transfer noise, the midfielder is a classy operator.
Celtic fans hope they are not seeing the last of him in green and white this pre-season.
