“I think there’s a way back for Matt O’Riley,” Gus Poyet

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The Celtic Star

·24 March 2025

“I think there’s a way back for Matt O’Riley,” Gus Poyet

Former Brighton manager Gus Poyet has shared his thoughts on how former Celt Matt O’Riley can develop into a key player at his old club in the Premier League…

Matt O’Riley reacts after a challenge during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Crawley Town at Amex Stadium on August 27, 2024 (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Shocking tackle gives Matt O’Riley a terrible start at Brighton

O’Riley left Celtic for a record fee of around £30m last summer but was injured on his debut in a League Cup tie against Crawley Town. Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler at the time described the tackle from Crawley’s Jay Williams as “ridiculous” after the 4-0 win and confirmed that the former Celtic midfielder was set for a stint on the sidelines.

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Matt O’Riley after being substituted due to injury during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Crawley Town at Amex Stadium on August 27, 2024. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

“It is like we expected, it is a bad injury and he needs surgery on his ankle,” Hurzeler confirmed. “I can’t say how long or when we expect him to be back because of rehabilitation. It is a tough one for us but we will try to support him the best we can.”

A knee injury in January added to his season’s woes

That injury sidelined Matt O’Riley until November and after making some progress he received another blow in January, this time with a knee issue that thankfully wasn’t as significant as he debut ‘welcome to Brighton’ from the Crawley no-mark.

New signing Matt O’Riley of Brighton disappears down the tunnel after being injured on his debut during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Crawley Town at Amex Stadium on August 27, 2024 (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

All in all it’s adding up as a season of frustration for Matt but Gus Poyet believes he can turn his luck around at Brighton and make himself a key component in the Hurzeler’s midfield.

“I think there’s a way back for Matt O’Riley’

“I think there’s a way back for Matt O’Riley because when you play and perform for a club like Celtic there’s always a chance for him to come back,” Gus Poyet said in an interview with leading Danish outlet Tipsbladet.

Matt O’Riley of Brighton & Hove Albion in action. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

“The Premier League is a bigger change than people think. Especially moving from the Scottish Premier League with all respect to the league. There’s a quantity of games if you’re a good player.

“There’s no rest in the Premier League and he had his injury at the start of the season. There’s still time. He needs to understand what Fabian wants from his midfielders which is different to what you can and want to do on your own. It’s a different kind of football,'” Poyet added.

“He needs to understand his position, his role, the angles of receiving the ball, when and how, the touches. There’s so many things that you have to get it or you don’t. The next three to six months will be important.”

Celtic – Friends Re-united

Matt O’Riley’s Football Friends photo from Instagram back in November 2024 during an international break, with the Brighton star still wearing his Celtic gear.

If things don’t work out at Brighton – which they undoubtedly will given Matt’s quality – then he’d always be welcome back at Paradise! Not sure we could afford him though!

INVINCIBLE – The story of Celtic’s Wonderful, Magical, Treble Winning Invincible Season. Order at Celticstarbooks.com

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