The key player that Celtic will do well to hang onto in the summer

Johan Mjallby fears that Celtic may have to brace themselves for further bids for 'matchwinner' Matt O'Riley, with clubs in England and Spain credited with an interest in the Danish internationalist.

The Swede expects his fellow Scandinavian to shine at Hampden against Rangers this weekend once more after a stellar season overall, and while he hopes he hangs around at Celtic Park a little bit longer, he knows that interest in prying him away this summer is inevitable.

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Celtic managed to stave off interest in O'Riley from their Champions League opponents Atletico Madrid back in January, with manager Brendan Rodgers able to persuade his board to knock back an offer for a player who was so integral to their chances of retaining their Premiership title.

But Mjallby expects that giants from Europe's top five leagues will be sniffing around the 23-year-old again when the transfer window reopens.

“There were rumours about Atletico Madrid earlier in the season,” he said.

“He’s been playing very well in the last couple of seasons. He’s got a cracking left foot, with a deft touch and he scores a lot of goals. He’s a cracking footballer.

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“If you play well for the Old Firm there is always going to be rumours and interest from other clubs. That’s normal.

“Being a Celtic supporter now, I would love him to stay at the club. But it’s inevitable there will be sides down south and in Europe who are looking at him.

“When you play in massive games like cup finals and for your national team, it’s a great window to show how good you are.

“O’Riley is a match winner.”

*Johan Mjallby was speaking at a Scottish Gas media event. Scottish Gas is the proud partner of the Scottish Cup.