Celtic star could get international debut amid contract talks and Premier League interest

Celtic star Matt O’Riley could be set for an international call-up amid talks over a new contract.

O’Riley has made a big impression during his first two seasons at Parkhead, arriving from MK Dons in 2022. The central midfielder has since racked up 60 league appearances, scoring 11 times along the way. The 22-year-old attracted interest during the summer, with Leeds United and Fulham reportedly attempting to strike deals, but he wound up staying put in a major boost for Brendan Rodgers.

O’Riley is under contract until 2026, but with more interest expected in the summer, the Hoops are keen to tie him down to a new deal.

According to the Daily Record, discussions are already underway between Celtic and O’Riley over a new deal, with the Glasgow giant hoping to reward him for his fine performances, and indeed to put him further out of reach from those who may be interested in striking a deal during the winter window.

The news doesn’t end there for O’Riley, though. After a superb start to the season which has seen him score four and assist two in his first six league games this season, Denmark are reportedly considering handing the midfielder his first senior international call-up. While he was born in Hounslow, O’Riley qualifies to represent Denmark through family, and after initially representing England at youth level, he made the switch to represent Denmark under-21s last year.

According to Sky Sports, Denmark are now considering handing O’Riley a senior call-up ahead of games with Kazakhstan and San Marino, which will be games they will expect to win, even if they did lose against the former earlier in their qualifying campaign. Denmark are currently second in their Euro qualifiers group, but they are level on points with leaders Slovakia and a point ahead of both Kazakhstan and Finland.