Celtic boss shares Matt O'Riley's classy gesture before leaving

It is only a matter of time before Matt O'Riley is announced as a Brighton & Hove Albion player. The midfielder Celtic had signed from the English third tier is now on the verge of completing a Scottish-record £30 million move to the Premier League just two-and-a-half years later. It has been a meteoric rise, to say the least.

Of course, Celtic will have a tough time replacing O'Riley. Not just his quality on the pitch but also the professional that he is.

With a move to the Premier League so close, there are many players who would not have been keen to feature in games, with injury always a risk. In the past, we have seen some do that.

O'Riley started and gave it his all for the Celtic shirt, even this season. Of course, players move on and are often eager to make the jump to the Premier League. That is understandable. But one has to applaud the Danish international's professionalism.

Celtic boss shares Matt O'Riley's classy gesture before leaving

Brendan Rodgers has given further insight into the class individual that O'Riley is. As reported by The Celtic Way (via 67 Hail Hail), the manager said:

"His behaviour, his decency all the way through pre-season was absolutely a joy to see.

“From a young player who’s got the riches of the Premier League in sight, he never lost his focus on Celtic. And even right up to the very last day, we’d finished, we had a lighter session on his last day, but he stayed out to do that extra little bit with the coaches. He has just been an absolute joy to work with.

“When you work with a player like that, you want them to succeed. Celtic won’t be the end game for some of these players, but it’s going to give them so much. And he leaves here now a winner, a better footballer and ready to play for any team in the world.

“When you play for Celtic and the pressure, and you become a winner, he can go on and play for most teams in the world now. His behaviour was second to none. He’s a good guy and I hope he does well."

In football, you get back what you put in. Perhaps not immediately but eventually. O'Riley is a perfect example of that.

We all knew that at some point, he was going to move on and try a different experience. The exit rumours have been swirling around for a while, going back to last season, when Atletico Madrid had tried to sign him in the middle of the campaign.

O'Riley never let that affect his game though and stayed a true professional. We can only wish him the best in the next chapter of his career. Thank you for everything, Matt. Good luck.