Burnley and Southampton both showed an interest in signing Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley when he was still playing League One football at MK Dons.
That is according to Russell Martin; the former Stadium MK boss who handed the Denmark U21 international his chance at senior level following a few months out of the game in January 2021.
And, in the end, Matt O’Riley would spend just one year in England’s third tier.
So impressive was he at MK Dons that one of the biggest clubs in Britain came calling soon enough, Celtic fighting off competition from Martin’s Swansea City while agreeing a bargain £1.5 million for a silky, scheming attacking midfielder who has now been rewarded for his efforts with a pair of Scottish Premiership titles.
Say what you want about O’Riley, no one could accuse the 22-year-old of lacking the will to make bold decisions. After turning down the chance to extend his contract with Fulham in the summer of 2020, O’Riley – speaking to The Athletic – admits to having spent ‘a good three or months training by myself in the park with my dad’.
He also rebuffed the advances of then-Premier League duo Burnley and Southampton in favour of first-team football well down the pyramid at MK Dons.
MK Dons now staring at Celtic and attracting Premier League interest
“After a few weeks (training with us), it was Matt who came to me and said; ‘I really like the way Dons play. Can we do something’?,” Martin tells Sky Sports.
“He had the likes of Burnley and Southampton looking at him. Pete Winkleman the (MK Dons) chairman was really good to be fair, and we gave him a contract.”
If O’Riley had opted for Southampton back then, there is a very real chance that he would be about to join forces with Martin at St Mary’s. The former Rangers and Norwich City defender, per The Athletic, is closing in on a deal that will see him take over from Ruben Selles at the already-relegated Saints.
It will be interesting to see who ends up in the Premier League first? O’Riley, or Martin’s Saints side.
“It’s his mentality that sets him apart,” Martin adds of the ‘incredible’ 22-year-old. “He’s supremely confident and a super pro. His diet is spot on, and he’s really athletic. More than he is given credit for.
“He’s got everything to play at the top. For Denmark and in the Premier League.”
Now valued at around £20 million; ESPN believe that Manchester United and Arsenal are among those who have been keeping tabs on O’Riley’s elegant performances north of the border.
The man himself, meanwhile, admits to receiving interest from both Leicester City and Newcastle during the summer of 2022.
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