Manchester United are one of the clubs paying attention to Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley ahead of the transfer deadline, according to ESPN.
The Red Devils recently made a statement signing with the purchase of Casemiro from Real Madrid.
The Brazilian should be a guaranteed starter in the holding midfield role for United, but the club have plans to pursue another midfielder.
With the huge outlay required for Ajax’s Antony, we don’t see them spending big again and they may look for a promising low-cost option.
Amidst this, ESPN cite that United are keeping tabs on Danish star O’Riley, who only made the switch to Celtic from MK Dons last winter.
The 21-year-old has grabbed plenty of attention in a short period of time. Arsenal, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund are also tracking him.
The Hoops signed O’Riley from Dons for just £1.5 million. It is claimed that they could be tempted to sell him for £15-20m in the coming days.
Man Utd’s interest in O’Riley comes as a surprise
The Denmark youth international is capable of playing anywhere in midfield, but he has generally featured from the central position.
O’Riley has caught the eye with his distribution, dribbling, key passes as well as crosses into the box. He has also been solid with his tackling.
Hence, there is definitely potential in the midfielder, but the step up to the Premier League would present a much difficult challenge for him.
United’s transfer interest comes as a surprise, but they are probably looking for something different.
O’Riley is left-foot dominant and likes to make regular forward runs. Whether United make a serious move to sign him remains to be seen.
The 21-year-old only recently switched his allegiance to Denmark from England. He has dreams of representing them at the World Cup.
If it comes to regular game time, United may find it hard to convince the player. Dortmund may probably be favourites to land his signature.
Over recent years, Dortmund have backed several young talents and O’Riley may feel he could break into their line-up than the Red Devils’.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
