MATT O’RILEY says it would be ‘cool’ to face Celtic teammates like Callum McGregor and Greg Taylor at next summer’s European Championships, as the midfielder sets his sights on making Denmark’s 23-man squad.
O’Riley got his maiden Danish cap in the midweek defeat to Northern Ireland, the first of what he hopes will be many appearances for Kasper Hjulmand’s side.
The Celtic squad will likely be in a hotel when the draw for the group stage of the Euros is made next Saturday as they prepare for their match at St Johnstone the following day, so O’Riley is hoping to watch it along with his teammates.
Should Denmark and Scotland be pulled out of the hat and into the same section, he is sure that the banter would soon start to flow, and he would relish the opportunity to test himself against his nation of residence.
“There is the possibility Denmark could play Scotland at the Euros next summer,” O’Riley said.
“We’ll see what happens as it’s a long way away yet.
“For now, it’s just about each player doing their best for the club. I’m certainly focused on doing my best here for Celtic.
“I really need to get into the squad before I can think about that stuff. But at the same time, it would be quite cool to play against Scotland.
“The draw is next Saturday so potentially I could be watching the draw with the lads.
“We’ll be training in the morning before our game next Sunday but there is every chance we’ll be around a TV seeing who gets who.”
O’Riley is hoping that he has timed his arrival onto the international scene with Denmark perfectly for the tournament, and that his fine form with Celtic in both the Premiership and Champions League will boost his chances of selection.
“Getting my first cap seven months before a major tournament isn’t the worst timing,” he said.
“I’m in the mix for the next camps. I’ve got enough time between now and then to hopefully keep performing well and improving. That’s what I’ll try to do.
“It’s all what I do at Celtic. I can’t prove anything at international level until we are there so at the moment it’s just club football and doing my best here.”
