It was the news that many expected, but one that shocked the Scottish and wider football landscape regardless on Thursday afternoon when it was finally announced.

Of course, we’re talking about Matt O’Riley’s surprise omission from Kasper Hjulmand’s 26-man Denmark squad for the Euros next month. Celtic’s standout player last season – despite scoring 19 goals and assisting a further 18 in all competitions – has been sensationally left out of the side to face Slovenia, England and Serbia.

When asked about why Celtic’s best player was not included in his final roster for the European Championships, Hjulmand gave this response. He said to Danish outlet Bold: “Matt’s been a really good player, he’s had a great season.

“He couldn't have done anything differently. He could hardly do better than what he did this season. I’ve picked six players that we can move around a bit.

“It’s been at the expense of Matt, but it was a tough choice.”

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It's fair to say that native supporters of the national team are less than pleased about O'Riley's failure to make the roster. You do not need to know fluent Danish to get the gist of their frustrations, with the words 'O'Riley' and question marks being easy to translate and understand, in truth. One of the funniest responses to Denmark's official X page was a simple question of whether the midfielder plays golf instead of football!

The Denmark national team has been known for possessing great talent, especially in the midfield areas. This year is no different, as Hjulmand has named the likes of Christian Eriksen, Thomas Delaney and Mikkel Damsgaard to next month’s footballing festival in Germany. Even then, though – especially in the case of the former two – they are in the twilight of their collective international careers. Manchester United’s Eriksen – now 32 years of age – will likely be taking part in his last international tournament, whilst Sevilla’s Delaney – also 32 – will be on the same boat.

When it comes to players that can “move around”, Hjulmand will likely be talking about Barcelona’s Andreas Christensen, who can play as both a central defender and a defensive midfielder, two positions he played last season at the Camp Nou club. Brentford’s Mathias Jensen and the aforementioned Damsgaard can both be flexible in playing centrally or on the flanks, indicating defensive and wide versatility that O’Riley, unfortunately, does not possess.

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Even still, Celtic’s shining light last season can play anywhere in the midfield when it comes to a central role. Bringing versatility in the number six, eight and ten positions, his failure to be selected by his national team is not overly surprising, given his coach’s remarks towards Scottish football just a few days ago. When asked about players who are “shining at club level” by Tipsbladet, Hjulmand said: “You have to put it into the context of how the Scottish league is in relation to the Superliga, the Bundesliga or Spain. We are fully aware of that. There are constant considerations."

Essentially, the incumbent Denmark coach is putting the SPFL below the Danish Superliga, judging by these comments. This is a fair assessment, given the higher standard in his own country compared to O’Riley’s adopted homeland, however, the midfielder has shown his quality on the big stage, too. Looking back on his performances against Lazio, Atletico Madrid and Feyenoord at Celtic Park last year, he was arguably the best player on the park in all three matches. Indeed, his three assists in as many games put his name on the map, picking up the ‘Player of the Match’ against the Spanish giants in the process. Indeed, he impressed Diego Simeone’s side so much that the club lodged an audacious bid for the midfielder this January, which his current club rejected.

It must be admitted, however, that this snub could signal the start of the end for O’Riley at Celtic. Not for the first time, a player seems to have hit a glass ceiling when it comes to making the grade for his national team. Virgil van Dijk had to move to Southampton in the Premier League before he made his debut for The Netherlands, whilst Jeremie Frimpong relocated to Germany and Leverkusen to join him a few years later. O’Riley is not the first – and will not be the last – to feel this guilt by association at the international level concerning Celtic. This is not a new thing for the club and its players, unfortunately.

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Many are resigned to the fact that the talented midfielder will move to pastures new, though this very public rejection may force a quicker relocation to a better league or side – though not necessarily a bigger one. Record transfer fees have been touted, and despite Celtic’s number 33 not being on the plane to Germany, you would expect his talents to attract upwards of £25 million at the very least. He deserves to be thought of in the same sort of financial worth as the likes of Kieran Tierney and Jota, that’s for sure.

This is the position that the club and Brendan Rodgers find themselves in, though they will be hoping that this can change in the coming years. Thanks to Celtic’s successful reclamation of the Scottish Premiership trophy, Glasgow’s dominant side will play at least eight games in the Champions League which means more eyes will be on the team than ever before, at least from a European standpoint. Whether O’Riley will be there for the ride is another story, and one we don’t know the answer to, as of yet.

One thing is for sure, and that is that he'll be hot property for Celtic to keep a hold of this summer, regardless of his international standing...