Matt O’Riley was yesterday left out of the Denmark squad for the upcoming European Championships, much to the shock of many.
The Celtic midfielder was on fire in the season gone by, registering 37 goal contributions as he played all but one of the Hoops’ games across all competitions.
National team boss Kasper Hjulmand cited O’Riley’s lack of versatility as a key reason as to why he wasn’t picked in the 26-man Euros squad, but many fans were left incensed by the gaffer’s decision.
The 23-year-old has been one of the most on-form Danes over the past few weeks and months; he even completed a clean sweep at Celtic’s Player of the Year awards night at the Hydro recently.
The opportunity to shine in Germany has been stolen from O’Riley, and former Celt and O’Riley’s fellow Dane, Thomas Gravesen, is fuming at the latest happenings.
He thinks there are too many bodies in the latest Denmark squad that are not at 100%, and that Hjulmand has picked players he knows, not those who are in form.
He said: (Tipsbladet via RecordSport) “I notice that Kasper Hjulmand does not deviate from his concept and his way of selecting players. He has again selected players who are not in shape, do not have rhythm and do not play on a daily basis.
“There are players I would much rather see in the national team than some of the players who have been injured or haven’t played at all.
“We have a player who has helped win the championship in Scotland. A dominator, I am of course talking about Matt O’Riley. Why isn’t he there? He deserved a chance.”
