BRENDAN RODGERS insists Celtic won’t be forced into selling Matt O’Riley.
The Hoops are thought to have thrown out bids from Serie A side Atalanta for the Danish international.
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Their last offer was believed to be in the region of £15.5million and boss Rodgers is adamant O’Riley doesn’t have to leave on the cheap.
He said: “Celtic is a club where you can move on but you don’t have to and it’s a very difficult club to move on from.
“I think we all understand, the people close to Celtic, the model Celtic works to.
“Matt’s been at the club for three years, he’s developed into the player he has and he knows the privilege it is to play for Celtic.
“Of course naturally how it works is the player gets that opportunity to move on.
“Naturally with the wages that are on offer for players then that makes it a real challenge for Celtic to compete at that level.
“But what I’ve seen with Matt is he’s a first-class professional. He’s a really humble guy who’s really devoted to his profession and he knows what he has here.
“We’re all quite relaxed about it. Every player has a value but we see him as a really important player and while he’s here we’ll continue to develop him and improve.”
O’Riley, 23, netted a double in the 4-0 win over DC United on Sunday and looks set to be involved again in the friendly with Manchester City in Chapel Hill, North Carolina at midnight tonight.
Rodgers said: “You saw him in the game the other night. He’s working well and is focused.
“Naturally when you’re a good young player who’s committed and professional as he is he will get attention. He’s working so well but there’s nothing to report on him.”
Rodgers had new goalie Kasper Schmeichel alongside him at the WakeMed Soccer Complex in Cary ahead of an open training session for fans there.
Their plans were temporarily delayed after torrential rain hit the area last night, sparking flash flood alerts.
It was good news for the organisers who had prayed for rain as the new turf at the match venue, the Kenan Memorial Stadium, struggled to knit in the sweltering conditions.
Rodgers said: “The hotel and complex is beautiful. It’s different to Washington and it’s a beautiful place to be. Hopefully the weather warning we got, well let’s hope it stays away!
“It will be great to see Pep Guardiola having faced him in the Premier League but for us it’s our fifth game in our preparation phase and we’ll work very hard to get out of it what we need to.”
Goalie Schmeichel was due to take part in his first training session with his new teammates since jetting in on Sunday.
Schmeichel’s father is Man U legend Peter and he came through the ranks as a kid at City.
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Schmeichel, 37, said: “I’m buzzing to be here. We haven’t been here for long but what we’ve seen has been really nice.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the fans and the game. For me personally this is my first training session and I’m looking forward to that.
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“The first place I went to when I was born was the stadium i didnt go home first so football has been in my blood since I was born.
“My dad played till I was 15 so football has existed for me always and I’ve been in love with the game since I remember.”
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