Kerry Mayodi
Ange Postecoglou has provided a report on Matt O’Riley’s injury suffered in Celtic’s Old Firm win last weekend.
After being taken off just 15 minutes into the second half of the 2-1 victory over Rangers, the manager indicated that the 21-year-old doesn’t appear to have suffered a significant injury in recent comments published by The Herald.
The Hoops boss said: “Matty got a bit of a decent knock. He probably could’ve soldiered on but with the game being as it is and we’ve got a bench now that can make a difference, we thought we would take him off and just protect him.”
Given how outstanding O’Riley has been since his £1.5 million arrival to Parkhead in January, the information that he does not appear to have suffered a major injury is fantastic news for the Bhoys.
In fact, the £405k-rated dynamo has been in terrific form this campaign across his 11 Premiership outings, netting one goal, providing three assists, and creating four big chances for his colleagues, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots and making 2.6 critical passes per game – the third-most in the league.
Even while the absence of O’Riley would not have been catastrophic due to the return of David Turnbull and the presence of Tom Rogic and Reo Hatate in the middle of the park, Postecoglou’s announcement that the kid appears to have received no long-term harm is excellent news for the club, as former MK Dons starlet has already established that he is one of the most promising young talents in Celtic’s squad.
