Liam Manning knew Matt O’Riley was destined to hit the heights when the midfielder’s lows never fell below a seven out of 10.
The former MK Dons manager insists he’s rarely seen a young footballer with such leadership qualities and a desire to take responsibility and dictate the game - even when he’s not quite at his best. Driven on by the key man in their engine room, Manning’s Milton Keynes side forced their way into the League One play-off positions by the middle of last season.
So it arrived as a gut-wrenching - yet not entirely unexpected - blow when Celtic swooped to snap up his prize asset a year ago as Ange Postecoglou bolstered his ranks on the way to wrestling the title back from Rangers. Nevertheless Manning couldn’t help but beam with pride at the sight of O’Riley on the biggest stage of all as Celtic mixed it with Real Madrid in the Champions League just months after he’d been used to battling Rotherham and Accrington Stanley.
