Celtic star lauded for transfer behaviour despite facing uncertainty as toys stay in pram
Celtic playmaker Matt O'Riley has won praise for the way he is handling speculation about his future.
The 23-year-old has been subject of two failed bids from Atalanta in the summer transfer window, while Chelsea, Brighton, Southampton and Atletico Madrid have all been linked with the Dane in the past 12 months. However, the ex-MK Dons player continues to shine for Brendan Rodgers' men despite all the chatter about a potential move.
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Hide AdEx-Celtic boss Gordon Strachan has been impressed by the maturity shown by O'Riley and says not all players show such qualities when dealing with a potential transfer.
"I've got to say that I’ve been really impressed by how Matt O’Riley has handled the speculation about his future at the club," said Strachan. "I've dealt with players who act very strangely when there's a potential transfer coming up at this time of the year, and we've fallen out, the player and myself.
"I actually explained to one player once, I said: “You're OK just now, but once it gets near August and you've not got your move, you're going to act very strangely. You’re not going to like me and you're not got to like the club. I'm not going to like you.”


"And that’s what materialised. Then two months later, when he went to his club, his choice, which I said would always happen, he apologised for his behaviour. That's a good man (laughs).
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Hide Ad"If there are any kids out there watching a player to see how you deal with that level of speculation, then Matt O’Riley is the perfect example to follow. Watch how he’s behaved. He's been absolutely brilliant. He's never got caught up in the media.
"His form has been brilliant. Nobody's made an excuse for him because they haven’t needed too. The good thing about Matt O'Riley is that he’s a great character. If he does move on this summer, if a giant like Real Madrid or Barcelona came in for him after a few seasons, he would react exactly the same way. He wouldn’t kick up a fuss or throw his toys out of the pram.”
Speaking to topoffshorecasinos.com, Strachan added: "I get worried when I hear about players who are pushing to move and don't turn up to training or get a mysterious injury. Those guys affect the players around them and bring negativity into your club. As a manager, if you sign someone that does that, they’ll do that to you the next time they want to move on."
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