Celtic's Iniesta, Rangers fitness regime, big injury blow, 'frustrated' Hearts star, Euro 2024 tickets - football news

Celtic’s in-form midfielder is compared to Spanish legend, Euro 2024 update and Rangers are on board with new fitness regime

We take a look at some of the main talking points this Thursday morning in the world of Scottish football:

O’Riley compared to one of greats

Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley has been compared to legendary playmakers Luka Modric and Andres Iniesta. The Dane has been one of the Scottish champions’ best players this season and Gordon Strachan, a former Celtic manager, said on him: “Matt O’Riley has been outstanding. He joined from MK Dons after coming through the ranks of Fulham and, when he first joined, he looked like a good player. He’s come on leaps and bounds and is impressing in the Champions League. Some of his passes have been phenomenal. He has the ability that all the top players have of remaining composed on the ball – he doesn’t play unlucky passes. He isn’t flustered in possession and isn’t influenced by a crowd screaming at him. He’s got that ability to take a ball, shield it and play the right pass every single time. It’s a rare gift that only the real top players like your Modrics or your Iniestas have.”

Celtic's Matt O'Riley has been in excellent form this season.

Euro 2024 Scotland tickets

It may be eight months away, but already thoughts of many Scottish football fans are turning to Euro 2024 in Germany next summer. Scotland have already secured their place at the tournament and according to reports, UEFA will give the Tartan Army 9,500 official tickets for each of the three group-stage matches. Scotland will discover on Saturday, December 2 who they are facing when the draw is made in Hamburg.

Tagawa’s Hearts frustrations revealed

Hearts forward Kyosuke Tagawa is “frustrated” with how his career at Tynecastle has panned out so far. The 24-year-old arrived at the club from FC Tokyo at the start of the season but the former Santa Clara loanee’s season so far has been hampered by injury. Tagawa, however, could be in contention for a return to the squad for Saturday’s match against Motherwell and his manager Steven Naismith told the Edinburgh Evening News: "He is frustrated and that's something I've spoken with him about, just giving him an all-round view of things. It's going to take time for him to feel 100 per cent comfortable, but also he needs to understand that Scottish football is Scottish football and that's the way it is.”

Montgomery bemoans Hibs’ failure to hold on

Hibs manager Nick Montgomery admitted he was frustrated at his side’s failure to close out victory at St Mirren. Hibs looked set for a first win in seven games only to concede a stoppage-time equaliser to Lewis Jamieson to draw 2-2. Goals from Josh Campbell and Joe Newell – either side of Mark O’Hara’s penalty – had Hibs in control before Jamieson struck with his first ever St Mirren goal. Montgomery said: “It’s another game we could have got three points out of, but we only have ourselves to blame. We can talk about managing the game and finishing it off and I thought we had plenty of chances to do that even in the first half. We were outstanding. But the equaliser is of our own doing. There’s a minute to go and we just need to see the game out. We had a breakaway and we somehow turn the ball over and the next thing it’s in the back of the net. It’s another game where we have led away from home, and it might be a good point come the end of the season but right now it’s a difficult one to take.”

Rangers squad ‘on board’ with Clement’s fitness regime

Jack Butland says Rangers players have bought into the new attitude to fitness at Ibrox under Philippe Clement. Immediately after taking over as Gers boss from Michael Beale, the Belgian emphasised his desire for a much fitter and more robust squad. Clement is unbeaten in five games and, ahead of the Europa League clash with Sparta Prague at Ibrox on Thursday night, Butland spoke openly about the changes he has witnessed. The 30-year-old goalkeeper said: “He’s bringing everybody in. Sometimes the old ideas of running stupid distances can be a punishment to people, or feel that way. “He’s made it clear, if people are doing extra running, it’s not as a punishment, it’s to get you up to the standard of the lads who are getting those numbers in week in week out, so when the opportunity comes he will call on those people, because we will need to over the course of the season – they are not a yard off, they’re up to standard. When he articulated it in that way, it’s not as if you’re running because you’re not playing or fit enough, you’re doing extra work to get to the levels we need. The lads are on board because that works in everyone’s favour. Those guys, it means they are ready and for the rest of the team and club, every player is ready to go when called upon.”

Clarkson hopes to kick-on after regaining Aberdeen starting spot

Aberdeen playmaker Leighton Clarkson hopes to take another step towards regaining his best form in Thursday’s Europa Conference League match away to PAOK. After impressing last term while on loan from Liverpool, the 22-year-old has struggled for much of this season following his much-hyped permanent transfer to Pittodrie and found himself out of Barry Robson’s starting XI for the majority of matches since the start of September. However, his return to the team has coincided with back-to-back victories over Motherwell in the cinch Premiership last week and Hibernian in the Viaplay Cup semi-final on Saturday. The midfielder is particularly heartened by the way he played in last Wednesday’s 4-2 win at Fir Park. “I’m a player who likes to get a lot of touches of the ball and I felt that day I managed to get control of the game and we almost passed them off the park in the first half, which is something we’ve probably not done all season,” he told RedTV. “I felt really good about myself and I want to keep kicking on from that and help the lads with goals and assists because I’ve not done that as much as I’d have liked to.”

Miller injury blow for out-of-form Motherwell

Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller has been ruled out until early 2024 as a result of the knee injury he sustained against Aberdeen last week. The club released a statement on Wednesday revealing that the 17-year-old, who has made 14 appearances this term, “will face a minimum of three months on the sidelines”. Miller went off in the 70th minute of last Wednesday’s 4-2 defeat at home to the Dons and is now set to be absent until the start of February at the earliest. In a further blow, experienced defender Paul McGinn is facing “approximately six weeks” out with the facial injury he sustained in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Kilmarnock. The 33-year-old has already undergone surgery and will not play again until next month. Motherwell are currently on a run of eight games in a row without a victory.