Dons defender tips Celtic star O’Riley for another big career move

Warren O’Hora has predicted another big move for Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley on the horizon.

O’Riley played alongside the Irishman at MK Dons for a year, having trained for four months at Woughton with the first-team following his departure from Fulham in the summer of 2020. Eventually penning a deal in January 2021, O’Riley shone in the centre of the park, earning him a move north of the border to the Scottish giants.

O’Hora, speaking on the One Up Top podcast, said the Danish U21 international is the best player he has played alongside in his career, and feels the 22-year-old is due another big move after wrapping up the treble with Celtic and following the depature of manager Ange Postecoglou to Totteham.

O’Hora said: “He deserves it (a big move) and I think he'll be getting one now. We'll see.

“He's the best player I've played with. He was training with us for four months but couldn't play because we couldn't sort a deal with Fulham.

“In training, he wasn't nothing mad, so we'd not really seen him play. But once he got onto the pitch, he was like a machine. Left-foot, right-foot, everything.

“That's why he got the move to Celtic, and he's playing at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid in the Champions League, and has won the treble.”

The Irishman also paid tribute to compatriot, and short-time Dons team-mate Richard Keogh. Playing alongside each other for four months during Keogh’s half-season at Stadium MK, O’Hora said he learned so much from the veteran defender during his early days in the first-team.

“Playing with Richard was so good for me,” O’Hora continued. “He was coming back from his knee injury, but he was good for me. He's so experienced. He wasn't the quickest, strongest, couldn't jump the highest, but his timing was perfect, and the way he put his body in positions he didn't need strength.

“He played something like three years straight at Derby without missing a game. I did that a couple of years ago, and that summer I was in bits.”