Matt O'Riley cuts short Celtic break to answer Denmark SOS as he reveals 'strange' experience behind secret call up

Matt O'Riley had to cut short a holiday to answer the Denmark call. And the Celtic star is unable to disguise his delight and pride at landing a spot in coach Kasper Hjulmand’s squad to set up a senior international debut.

O’Riley could get a first cap for the full Danish side after replacing Kasper Dolberg in the 23-man unit heading to face San Marino on Tuesday night. The Celtic star‘s brilliant club form under Brendan Rodgers has been rewarded with the late shout for the Euro 2024 qualifier after six appearances for the Under-21 side.

O’Riley admits it meant a quick packing of a suitcase as he explained: “It happened very quickly. I just got a call from Morten Wieghorst and Kasper Hjulmand. I was just sitting in Mallorca and eight hours later I was in Denmark, so it all happened very quickly. Wieghorst said that there was a very good chance that I would go and then I had to pack my things and be ready. I also had to talk to the hotel reception and say that I had to check out, but the feeling you get with that is really good!”

O’Riley headed for Copenhagen to watch the team’s 3-1 weekend’s win over Kazakhstan, but his hopes of keeping a low profile in the Parken Stadium as he tried to ensure the potential call-up stayed under wraps didn’t go to plan. He explained: “It was a bit strange. After all, I wasn’t sure if I should hide my face or not. I didn’t want anyone to talk about it, so I chose to wear a hat and hood.”

However, the disguise failed as, speaking to Bold.dk, he laughed: “I got messages from cousins who said they had seen me!”