Northern Irish legend claims Celtic player is like Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard is one of the best midfielders in the history of the game. The Englishman enjoyed a tremendous career at Chelsea and made more than a hundred appearances for the England national team. He also played for teams like Manchester City, West Ham United, Swansea City and New York City FC. He was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in its very first year. So, being compared to him is certainly a major compliment for one Celtic player.

It is interesting how fast things can change in football. Matt O’Riley was signed by Celtic from MK Dons in early 2022. Naturally, there were some question marks over the move, as he was coming in from the English League One.

It did not take O’Riley too long to prove that he belonged at Celtic. And he was very good under the management of Ange Postecoglou, except for a brief spell when it looked like Aaron Mooy had moved ahead in the pecking order.

O’Riley has taken his game to the next level since the appointment of Brendan Rodgers though. Most view him as the best in the Premiership right now and he even made his debut for Denmark recently, in a 2-0 loss at the hands of Northern Ireland.

Northern Irish legend claims Celtic player is like Lampard

As reported by Football Scotland, Stephen Craigan told Viaplay Sports:

"“This season he’s taken his game to a new level. The one thing he needed to add is goals and he’s done that this season. He’s signed a new long term contract and he’s going to be going places. If you’re a Celtic supporter, you’ll enjoy watching him tonight.”"

On the other hand, David Healy claimed that O’Riley was a bit like Lampard and added:

"“He makes those delayed runs into the box.”"

Of course, most Celtic fans would like to see O’Riley remain at Parkhead for years to come. But at the same time, there is also a sense of inevitability about him leaving.

O’Riley is playing at a very high level right now. When that happens, the player ends up leaving Celtic more often than not. He has been linked with a long list of Premier League clubs recently and it is believed that the Hoops would be looking for a Scottish record offer to even consider parting ways with the Danish international.