The decision to omit Matt O’Riley from the Denmark Euro 2024 squad really baffled the Celtic supporters this week.
The 23-year-old Celtic midfielder has been superb in the green and white Hoops both domestically and on the European scene under Brendan Rodgers.
His form has been so good this season that O’Riley has been the front and centre of a huge amount of transfer speculation linking him to clubs from England, Spain and Germany.
And after being snubbed by Denmark boss, Kasper Hjulmand, for the Euros in Germany, the national coach has been heavily criticised by the Danish media and even former international Denmark midfielder, Thomas Gravesen, who said O’Riley ‘deserved’ his chance.
And next up to levy criticism at Hjulmand is former Hibs, Dundee and Morton boss, Jim Duffy.
Duffy brands O’Riley Denmark decision as ‘lazy’
Jim Duffy had a reputation as a no-nonsense defender and manager when he was involved in football.
And now, after hearing what the Denmark boss said about O’Riley, the 65-year-old has taken that attitude into punditry and sent a message to Hjulmand after hearing his reasons for the international snub.
Duffy said [Superscoreboard], “We’ve heard this before with players maybe want to play in a certain league and how it may enhance the chances of international recognition.
“But at the risk of saying I think I may be more knowledgeable than the Danish national manager, I don’t think that, but it’s about opinions.
“And my opinion is you look at the talent of the player, not the league he’s playing in.
“He’s playing in a good league here. We know it’s not a super league, we know it’s not one of the top leagues, but it’s still a very competitive league.
“And Matt O’Riley has been one of the top, probably the top, midfield players in the country. But I think you need to look at his attributes.
“That, to me, is the sole reason why you pick him or not pick him. If you think these attributes are good enough to complement your squad, you add him.
“If you don’t, if you think that Christian Eriksson has still got more to offer or whoever it happens to be, then fair enough.
“But I don’t like when managers mention the league because I think it’s kind of a lazy throwaway line really. Maybe they might see the odd game here and there, but they don’t see it on week to week basis.
“I don’t think they realise the demands of playing for Celtic or the expectations.”
And this is not the first time an international manager has used this excuse to justify not selecting a Celtic player for their country.
We all remember Japan boss Hajime Moriyasu using the standard of Scottish football as an excuse to drop Kyogo Furuhashi whilst still selecting Daizen Maeda.
I agree with Jim Duffy. It’s a lay and tired old argument that has been put to bed on numerous occasions with players like Henrik Larsson, Callum McGregor and Daizen Maeda all flourishing on the international stage despite playing in Scotland during the best years of their careers.