Matt O’Riley has spoken up about the roundabout way that he missed out on a World Cup call from Demark.
The midfielder has had an outstanding year since moving to Celtic from MK Dons in January but couldn’t find his way into the 26 man squad now in Qatar.
A winter World Cup is a brand new concept with O’Riley’s run of form, including a man-of-the-match performance against Shakhtar Donetsk coming just too late for the former England youth internationalist.
Making his u-21 debut in May there was only one international break this season leaving Danish boss Kasper Hjulmand with very little time to integrate a newcomer into his plans.
Reflecting on his omission, O’Riley told The Sun:
I was really disappointed. I spoke with the manager and I think I was close. I think it was just a tiny bit soon for me by the sound of it.
He was saying that the lead up to this World Cup was quite a strange one. There weren’t a lot of training sessions before, so to integrate me would have been a bit difficult, so I kind of understood.
Hopefully there’s going to be more opportunities for me next year. If I keep my form and keep improving, hopefully I’ll be involved.
O’Riley started all 13 Celtic matches between October 1 and last week’s 2-1 win over Ross County which gave the hoops a nine point lead at the top of the SPFL going into the World Cup break.
Resuming his form on December 17 away to Aberdeen can help Celtic back into the Champions League and the chance to impress on the stage most likely to impress Hjulmand.
It’s no great deal to miss out on this example of FIFA bribery, where certain players and supporters of certain sexuality and religion are amputated from social existence.