Matt O'Riley meets post Celtic turbulence head on as Brighton star reveals major reason behind £30m transfer
Matt O'Riley admits it's been a turbulent start to life at Brighton after his £30million move from Celtic.
The Denmark playmaker has been dogged by injury and fitness issues since his record-breaking switch to the Seagulls in the summer. O'Riley had to undergo ankle surgery in September after his debut was wrecked by a horror tackle from Crawley's Jay Williams. That forced the 24-year-old out of action for months, but O'Riley marked a stunning comeback by notching the winner against Man City in November.
However, the ex-MK Dons and Fulham youngster has been unable to kick on, making just nine starts across all competitions during a frustrating campaign. O'Riley admits he's still finding his feet at his new club - who sit 10th in the Premier League - but revealed the lure of working under Fabian Hurzeler was a major factor behind his big-money move after two-and-a-half trophy-laden years in Glasgow.
"No one has really spoken about specific targets and where we’re going to finish in the table,” O’Riley told SportsBoom.com. "The manager [Fabian Hurzeler] has always spoken about challenging the ‘establishment’, which I presume means games like Liverpool and Man City, and the other teams up the top.
"It’s been great, I always like working with different coaches and different styles of coaches, I think that’s great for everyone to learn different ways of working, that improves you as a player. He was one of the reasons I wanted to join the club, because of his approach. He’s very approachable, I find it easy to speak with him, which is nice. But he’s also very demanding in terms of the standards that he sets, so I’m enjoying it."
O'Riley notched an unfortunate own goal in December's 3-1 defeat at former club Fulham and his numbers have been a far cry from his red-hot form at Parkhead. But the two-times capped Dane is confident he can kickstart his campaign and help fire Brighton into the European spots.
He said: "I’m really enjoying it, it’s been lot of learning this season. It’s been quite stop-start at times since Christmas, I’ve had a few unlucky moments, so I’m just trying to get the rhythm back again.
"I took another knock to my knee against Ipswich, which unfortunately kept me out for the Manchester United game, but hopefully I’ll get back in the groove again.
"It’s been that recurring theme this season, so it will be nice to get some rhythm to help me out in training and to get some games. But I’ve learnt a lot about myself mentally throughout these times, now I’m feeling good."
O'Riley is relishing the chance to pit his wits against the best players in the world and believes he can take his game to another level at the American Express Stadium.
He added: "It’s great to have that challenge, it makes you better. It pushes you to levels that you previously haven’t been able to push yourself too. I’m really enjoying playing against the best players, I think that’s when you play your best football. Any time you can play against players of that quality, then it’s always about showcasing that."
