Matt O’Riley feels he now stands a chance of featuring at the 2022 World Cup after joining Celtic from MK Dons during the January transfer window, via quotes by the Daily Record.
Ange Postecoglou raided English third-tier promotion-hopefuls Dons for O’Riley in a £1.5m swoop late in the recent winter market. The Bhoys boss played a key role in the midfielder accepting a mid-season move to Parkhead on a four-and-a-half-year contract.
O’Riley has swiftly started to justify Postecoglou’s decision with one goal and two assists in five Premiership appearances with Celtic. He had already scored seven times in League One along with offering five assists this season before departing Stadium MK for Glasgow.
The 21-year-old’s instant success in the Hoops engine room now has O’Riley dreaming of the World Cup in Qatar. He is eligible to feature for England or Denmark at the competition and can represent Norway, but Erling Haaland’s nation failed to qualify for the tournament.
O’Riley has previously represented England at U16 and U18 levels, with his last appearance coming in 2017. The London-born maestro could also select Denmark through his mother
“I have had thoughts about the World Cup, I won’t lie,” O’Riley said. “It is definitely one of my bigger targets, I’d say. I feel like it’s possible now.
“I’m playing for a club such as Celtic now and I don’t think that is out of the question. There is still a long way to go for me to be able to get a call-up of that magnitude, so we’ll see.”
Celtic star O’Riley faces a lot of competition for senior international bow
O’Riley faces a lot of competition for the Celtic star to feature at the 2022 World Cup for England. Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips have proven themselves as Gareth Southgate’s first-choice midfield pair after combining tremendously on route to the Euro 2020 final.
Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount and Jordan Henderson are also regulars in the Three Lions side. While Southgate can also call on James Ward-Prowse, Phil Foden, Jesse Lingard and has experimented with Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold in his engine room.
Denmark also have established stars in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Thomas Delaney, Daniel Wass and Christian Norgaard among others. So, O’Riley will need to maintain his early form at Celtic to warrant consideration for a 2022 World Cup place come the end of the year.
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