Matt O'Riley has gone "off the boil" at Celtic and will struggle to make the starting line-up for the side that faces Rangers on derby day, according to one pundit.
The 22-year-old initially proved to be a shrewd buy when he arrived from MK Dons in January 2022 for a bargain £1.5million, and immediately claimed a starting spot in Ange Postecoglou's starting line-up. He was a regular in the opening months of the current campaign helping the Hoops to top spot in the Scottish Premiership leading to the rumour mill moving into overdrive.
Manchester United, Newcastle United and Leicester City were touted among a host of Premier League suitors, but amid the hype Aaron Mooy's upturn in form has seen the Denmark U21 cap drop down the Parkhead pecking order. O'Riley earned a recall to the Celtic line-up that saw off Ross County in the absence of injured duo Mooy and Reo Hatate, but he failed to win over McManus who spoke on the PLZ Football Show.
McManus reckons David Turnbull would be preferred in midfield engine room after the performance of O'Riley in the Highlands. He said: "O'Riley has went off the boil hasn't he? I thought he was poor yesterday. I saw him against Hibs and I thought he was really poor.
"At the start of the season we were talking about teams like Man United and that. I'm struggling to see how he's in the team at the minute. David Turnbull must be knocking on the door to get in instead of him."
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