Matt O'Riley 'missed' by Celtic declares Chris Sutton as instant Brighton impact sparks Scottish football reality check

Chris Sutton reckons Celtic MISS Matt O'Riley - but an influential MK Dons figure believes he outgrew Scotland very quickly.

Brendan Rodgers lost the key figure in his side over the summer after Brighton shelled out a record breaking fee to land his services. Atletico Madrid and Atalanta had previously tried and failed over the Denmark cap and it was the Seagulls who won the race. He announced his arrival properly at the weekend with the winner on his EPL debut against champions Manchester City in a comeback win to put more misery at Pep Guardiola's door as his side suffered a fourth straight loss.

It was a big moment for O'Riley after his debut ended inside nine minutes against Crawley Town in the Carabao Cup after a crunching tackle. It left him sidelined for a couple of months but he's now back with a bang. Speaking on 'The Monday Night Club' on BBC 5 live, Sutton said: “Really pleased for Matt O’Riley coming down to the farmer’s league and getting off the mark early.

“Joking aside, he had that horrendous (injury) in his first game in the League Cup, he got topped, that was a terrible challenge. Because he played so well last season at Celtic, you are thinking, well, is that going to really set him back, so I am pleased that he came on and he looked pretty sharp and took his goal well.

“He is a really outstanding footballer, he has got wonderful awareness, he has an eye for a pass, and he really improved in his time at Celtic. A really smart piece of business. And Celtic, albeit they have had a good start to the season, miss him.”

Sutton and Celtic may well miss O'Riley but MK Dons' longest serving captain Dean Lewington reckons he outgrew Scottish football very quickly due to his talents. He described the move from