Newcastle United target Matt O’Riley started in the Champions League against Real Madrid last night, and certainly didn’t look out of place.
Celtic kicked off their European group stage with a tantalising clash with holders Real Madrid, who beat Liverpool in last season’s final.
It represented a major test for Ange Postecoglou’s side, who have been making waves north of the border. The Aussie boss has made a real impression at Parkhead, and now had to test his side against arguably the best team in the world.
And Celtic more than held their own for large parts of the game, with O’Riley one of multiple players in green and white to impress.
However, the night ended in disappointment with Real Madrid winning 3-0. Their class inevitably shone through, on what could have been a historical night for Celtic.
It will instead be remembered for the performance rather than result, but players like O’Riley can be happy with their contribution.
Celtic press praise O’Riley vs Real Madrid
While he wasn’t Celtic’s best player on the night, a lot of Scottish media have commented on how well the 21-year-old did in the first half.
The Daily Record stated that O’Riley was ‘crucial’ to Celtic’s pressing in the opening 45 minutes, and showed how far he’s come. At the start of last season he was in League One with MK Dons.
Football Scotland were even more complimentary, writing: “Just an excellent footballer, who is more than good enough to grace this stage on a regular basis.”
Glasgow Live also commented on O’Riley’s decent first half outing. They wrote: “Influence faded in the second half as the visitors took control but during the first half’s bright spell, showed plenty of positive passes as is the norm.”
The fact he faded in the second half appears to be the general consensus in the Scottish media. Postecoglou clearly agreed, as he took O’Riley off in the 72nd minute.
But there were a lot of positives from the young midfielder – a man who Newcastle were linked with late in the summer transfer window.
Newcastle missed out this summer
With the window winding down, ESPN reported that Newcastle wanted to sign the Celtic star. They stated that the Magpies were one of the most likely clubs to make a move.
ESPN added that a fee of £15million could tempt Celtic into a sale, but he remained in Glasgow. Newcastle clearly didn’t make a move for the former Fulham youngster, and it’s a decision they could eventually regret.
O’Riley is clearly incredibly talented, and is a player who could be destined for a big move back to England. Considering how well he’s done for Celtic, he could make the step up to the Premier League.
But given he’s now proven he can hang up against the quality of Real Madrid, his asking price will only increase.
It wasn’t a perfect performance from O’Riley, but he is still very young. He has room to improve, which is exciting given how good he already is.
He’s a target for Newcastle, and the Magpies might rue not getting him in the summer before his price tag inevitably shoots up.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
