Matt O'Riley has admitted no-one can fill the shoes of Callum McGregor with the midfielder set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines. But he is adamant he posseses the quality to deputise in the Celtic captain's absence.
McGregor hobbled off injured during the Hoops Champions League defeat to RB Leipzig last week with O'Riley tasked to fill in for the 29-year-old. The former MK Dons star has become a fans favourite since signing for Ange Postecoglou's men in January and has shown he is capable of impressing in several positions across the midfield despite being predominately used in further up the pitch alongside Reo Hatate with McGregor doing more of the defensive work.
"You can't really replace Cal, not even just his football side, just what he brings as a character in the team," O'Riley said. "I'm not thinking about it on a personal level to be honest, I'm just there to do what I can do in that position.
"Naturally Cal is a big loss, we know that, probably the most important player in the team just because of everything he brings. But, saying that, I think we have enough characters and enough good players to hopefully keep the performance levels high."
And with McGregor set to be sidelined until after the World Cup, Postecoglou has teased that O'Riley could be an option in the deep-lying midfield role when they meet the Bundesliga side on Tuesday night.
The Denmark U21 star was deployed there for the Hoops 2-1 win over St Johnstone last time out and insists that he feels comfortable standing in for his skipper due experiences from earlier in his career.
O'Riley added: "I enjoyed it. I have done it before in the past. Maybe not in the exact same system, but I feel comfortable in terms of what I need to do.
"It's obviously different to what I am used to at the moment, I have been playing slightly higher up, so structurally it's slightly different. But because our structure is so clear, and we all know what we are doing, dropping in isn't so difficult.
"I obviously know where Cal needed to be when he was playing there so that helps from having that relationship with him when he was there. I feel good about it.
"I have done it in the past so I feel comfortable playing any midfield role. Through my young academy career, I played all around.
"At MK Dons, we played with two deeper ones and two in front, more like a box. But in terms of being deeper down the pitch, it's the same concept. At Fulham we played for a while with the same midfield shape, although slight details are different in terms of restrictions on where you are supposed to be going.
"Those experiences in the past have definitely helped me get a good understanding of what I need to do here."
READ NEXT
