Former Celtic midfielder Thomas Gravesen has criticised Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand for refusing to select Matt O’Riley over more established national team players.
O’Riley has been omitted from the Danes’ Euro 2024 squad for the tournament in Germany later this summer.
The midfielder is coming off the back of a season where he made 37 direct goal contributions to Celtic’s league and cup winning campaign. He’s been the Bhoys’ best player.
Hjulmand explained on Thursday that the Celtic midfielder couldn’t have done any more this season to make it into his plans, predicting he’ll feature for the national team many times in the future.
However, that will be small consolation for O’Riley, who managed to get himself called up to the senior side on three separate occasions throughout the season.
Thomas Gravesen on Matt O’Riley’s Denmark absence
The decision has raised eyebrows in Denmark and one pundit – Gravesen – was not happy at all with Hjulmand’s call.
He said [Tipsbladet]: “I notice that Kasper Hjulmand does not deviate from his concept and his way of selecting players. He has again selected players who are not in shape, do not have rhythm and do not play on a daily basis.
“Hjulmand is extremely loyal to the players who have served him during his time as national coach, and you can’t belittle him for that, because in the end it is he who must be responsible for what is going to happen.
“There are players I would much rather see in the national team than some of the players who have been injured or haven’t played at all. We have a player who has helped win the championship in Scotland and we have a player who has dominated the Super League. I am of course talking about Matt O’Riley and Nicolai Vallys. Why aren’t they there? The two deserved a chance, but Kasper Hjulmand won’t give it to them.
“You have to be very optimistic to imagine a national team coming down and dominating the Euros. We will see a bare-bones national team instead of a national team that exudes energy, big smiles and joy.”
It’ll be interesting to see how the summer now pans out for Denmark. Even if O’Riley had made the squad he was far from guaranteed to be a starter, but Gravesen clearly feels it’s less about that and more about the signal it sends.
He wants to see a young, vibrant Danish side take on Europe’s best rather than their manager turn to others who may not be playing as regularly.
O’Riley misses out this time but it surely won’t be long until he’s regularly pulling on the red shirt.