Despite the litany of transfer rumours surrounding Matt O'Riley's proposed departure from Celtic this summer, the midfielder continues to press on, and, indeed, impress under Brendan Rodgers.

Occasionally donning the captain's armband in recent outings while not sharing the pitch with Callum McGregor, O'Riley found the net during the club's entertaining 6-4 win over Queen's Park at The City Stadium, before hitting a brace against DC United on the first stop of the Celtic USA Tour 2024.

Goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Luis Palma and a Nicolas Kuhn double helped the Hoops overcome Manchester City 4-3 in the early hours of Wednesday on Matchday Two of the club's American tour, and O'Riley had a strong hand in two of those goals – assisting for Kuhn's first, and splitting the Man City defence to find Kuhn who set up Kyogo ahead of half-time.

The 23-year-old celebrated with his teammates as normal… but for Celtic fans watching on in the wee hours of the morning, there remains an undercurrent of uncertainty regarding his status at the club.

Losing players in the transfer window is of course expected. Bigger players with more important roles on and off the pitch have left for pastures new in previous summer windows, but O'Riley typifies Celtic's journey in recent years – especially during the harder-fought moments of last season.

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When the midfielder first came through the doors at Parkhead under previous manager Ange Postecoglou, he spoke candidly about why he felt joining the club at that moment was right for him at that stage in his career.

With supposed loan offers from the likes of Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid surfacing during the January transfer window, O'Riley stayed put in Glasgow – with Rodgers thereafter hailing the player's mature approach to the interest, and his ultimate decision to continue at Celtic.

More recently, the manager again praised the Dane for his preseason performances against a backdrop of enduring speculation, with Atalanta, Juventus and Liverpool among the midfielder's latest credible suitors.

The reality is: O'Riley is likely to move on from Celtic during the current transfer window for a distinguishable fee. But he does so off the back of a phenomenal campaign last term, clinching a clean sweep of club awards in the shape of Player of the Year, Player's Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year.

He's been a joy to watch, and it'll be hugely disappointing for Celtic fans if he indeed leaves in the coming weeks. Still, his conduct throughout has been exemplary, especially for a young man who could be easily tempted by the off-the-pitch trappings of modern football.

If he wants to stay himself, I hope he does exactly that. If he wants to go, I wish him well. And in the meantime, I hope he continues to make us smile with whatever game time he clocks on the pitch – in preseason exhibition form or competitive football when it rolls around next weekend.