Celtic Hero Matt O'Riley Shares What Frustrated Him at Brighton
With only a handful of games left this season, Celtic remain hopeful of securing the treble. Though they parted ways with a few fan favourites, they have still managed to make major strides in the Champions League, while continuing their success in domestic competitions.
It will be intriguing to see what the Hoops have planned in their mission to improve, especially after bidding farewell to heroes like Kyogo Furuhashi and Matt O'Riley this season.
Everyone has their own vision of how to contribute to football. Kyogo seemingly felt the need to represent Japan at the upcoming World Cup and made the move to Ligue 1 to help make that happen. On the other hand, O'Riley made the move to the Premier League as the next step in his career.
O'Riley embraced the opportunity by joining Brighton & Hove Albion but has not had the greatest season in the Premier League.
One reason behind that has been the injuries he has had to deal with. While part of the game, they can be frustrating. According to The Athletic, O'Riley said: “That (injury) wasn’t the most frustrating one.
“The most frustrating one was my knee recently after Ipswich (2-0 away win in January), because I was trying to train with it. But there was so much fluid in my knee every day — it was two months of not playing anywhere near my best capacity.
“The first injury I accepted. It was a long-term injury and I came back pretty strong and pretty healthy — whereas that one (knee) was more niggly. That has settled down and I am grateful for a bit of rhythm.”
It’s clear that O'Riley was eager to test new waters and with a €30 million transfer fee, Brighton has invested heavily in him. But things haven’t gone entirely smoothly since his arrival.
He has had to struggle to secure a consistent place in the Seagulls’ midfield, but there have been positive signs recently. He has gotten more playing time and impressed.
Meanwhile, the Hoops might make a lot of changes to their squad this summer and could look to strengthen in the middle of the park.
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Orijit holds a BA General degree in English, History and Political Science from Calcutta University. He is a fan of prominent soccer teams like Real Madrid and Manchester City. Other than soccer, Orijit is also a professional wrestling enthusiast and has been a contributor for Wrestling 3:16 since 2024. In addition to his passion for soccer and professional wrestling, Orijit is an avid basketball fan and he actively covers teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls.