Scottish expert talks reasoning behind O'Riley's Denmark absence

Flashscore.dk spoke to the editor of Football Scotland, Ryan McDonald, who, like all other Scottish media, struggles to understand Hjulmand's reason for not including O'Riley.

"There's no doubt it's a big surprise in Scotland. He's a player who has made his breakthrough this season. He's played in the Champions League and has attracted interest from the likes of Atletico Madrid and there are many who would call him the best player in the Scottish Premier League at the moment."

"He's scored 19 goals (in all competitions this season), he's had a foot in 18 goals and he's really been the centre of the Celtic team. He's had the best season ever and the reaction in Denmark from the media and the general public speaks for itself," says Mcdonald.

Mcdonald has followed the Danish national team's international matches in recent years and believes that O'Riley has some of the DNA that seems to be missing from a somewhat troubled Danish national team.

"When you look at it from the outside, it's time for fresh blood in the Danish national team. Christian Eriksen is far from his best and there are many players who are injured or not a regular at their clubs, and against that background, it's quite unbelievable that Kasper Hjulmand hasn't included O'Riley, who could bring something new to the team. And I personally think Hjulmand has made a huge mistake in not including him."

The Scottish league traditionally doesn't have the greatest status, and Mcdonald believes that fact may well have played a part in Hjulmand's decision not to include O'Riley.

"I definitely think the decision to drop O'Riley may have something to do with the fact that the Scottish Premier League doesn't have the same status in Europe as some of the other leagues.

"Celtic are one of the biggest clubs in Europe even if they don't always play in the Champions League. There is a huge physical and mental pressure on players in the Scottish top flight, and the fact that O' Riley has taken a big part in turning Celtic into a team that could actually compete in the Champions League shows his qualities."

Mcdonald is convinced that O'Riley would have been in the Scotland squad for the European Championships had he been given the chance.

"He would definitely have been in the Scotland squad for the Euros and he was unlucky not to be voted Scotland's Player of the Year. He's an incredibly creative player, and also very goal-orientated. He is capable of scoring in many different ways, through set pieces, long shots and headers. 

"He's been the highest assists scorer for Celtic for the last two seasons, and he can be used both as an attacking and defensive midfielder, so he has a lot of all-round qualities that Celtic have utilised.

"And when you have a squad of no fewer than 26 players, it's hard to understand why he hasn't been included," concludes Mcdonald.