Christie intent on making the first-team breakthrough
HE’S already experienced two loan moves since he joined the Hoops in 2015, but Ryan Christie is now determined to fight his way into the reckoning for every Celtic game.
Last season he had a very successful loan period at Pittodrie as Aberdeen finished second once more, and although he enjoyed the end-of-season treble celebrations as much as any of the Celts, the midfielder is determined to move from finishing second to first under his own steam by giving manager, Brendan Rodgers a selection headache – and that means not going out on loan.
He said: “There was talk of it but it never came down to a decision. To be honest, I was solely concentrating on Celtic and that’s all I have been doing since I came back from pre-season. I just wanted to see if I could break my way into the squad.
“At the start of the season it was a bit difficult and I couldn’t really find my way in. The manager spoke to me and told me he sees I’ve got a part to play in the squad, so I needed to put my head down and keep working.
“The loan to Aberdeen did me a world of good. I’ve come back stronger and more developed as a football player. I feel ready now to push as a regular for Celtic. It doesn’t really matter where on the park I play. The main aim is I play for Celtic week in, week out.”
He added: “One of the reasons I went, apart from playing, was the real pressure at Aberdeen. There’s a huge pressure at Celtic to win every week and there is that at Aberdeen too.
“It’s something in football you have to get used to, especially as an attacking player to have some of that pressure on your shoulders, week in, week out, and to create and score goals. Hopefully that’s something I can bring back to Celtic.”
Game-time will be important for the youngster, though, and although that can’t always be possible in a high-flying Celtic side, Christie knows that the heavy fixture schedule will throw up ample opportunities.
The 22-year-old said: “For me, the more games the better. Everybody loves playing games instead of training, so it’s important that we do call on everyone in the squad.
“It shows why we’ve got such a good squad because the manager needs to rotate. There are so many games so it’s impossible to keep the starting XI for months on end. Everyone knows that and everybody in the squad knows they’ll be called upon at one time or another.”
He also experienced his first call-up to the senior Scotland squad last season and, after making his debut against The Netherlands earlier in the term, he made the transatlantic trip with the national side during the summer for the games against Mexico and Peru, making his second start for the country in Mexico City.
Christie said: “I had a taste of that last season and over the summer and really enjoyed it. It’s something I’m trying to work my way back in to, but for that I need to be playing more game time with Celtic and that’s my main aim right now.”