Celtic talks on hold until I help Dons to be best of the rest
SAYS RYAN CHRISTIE By GEORGE GRANT
RYAN CHRISTIE is delighted to report that his impressive loan spell at Aberdeen has not gone unnoticed by his parent club 150 miles south in Glasgow.
Despite revealing yesterday that Celtic have offered to extend his contract, the 23-year-old midfielder also insisted that he has put talks on hold until he has helped the Dons become best of the rest in the Premiership.
Christie has spent the last 17 months at Pittodrie and is adamant he does not want any distractions from the task of proving that only Brendan Rodgers’ champions are superior to Derek McInnes’ team in the league this season.
Christie’s determined approach is understandable, especially with Aberdeen facing a crucial home double-header against their closest rivals for second place — starting with Hibernian today and then Rangers on Tuesday.
With Christie not allowed to feature in the Dons’ final fixture of the season at Parkhead, these will be the last games he plays for McInnes before returning to Lennoxtown for the start of Celtic’s pre-season training.
His current contract runs until the summer of next year. Although Celtic are pleased with his progress at Aberdeen and have started discussions on a new deal, the player insists he doesn’t have time to think about that right now.
Being a key part of a successful finale to the season, Christie feels that will also help him prove he is good enough to break into Rodgers’ side on his return.
‘There have been talks but I’ve put them to one side at the minute because my sole concentration is on Aberdeen,’ said Christie.
‘I didn’t think it would be fair to start talking about that in such a critical part of Aberdeen’s season.
‘Right now, I am at Pittodrie and I want to finish on as big a high as possible. After that, I can then start talking to Celtic again.
‘But it is definitely a positive and it gives me the confidence I am not being forgotten about.
‘It is a compliment. They are still watching me and I can still have a future there. It’s important to me, though, in these next two games against top players in the league that I prove I am good enough to move back to Celtic.
‘It’s always a big challenge. Celtic have such a strong squad and the competition is so high.
‘These last 17 months up here have stood me in good stead and, hopefully, I can go back to Celtic and prove I belong there.
‘This season, I have managed to play in most of Aberdeen’s games, which has been amazing for my development.
‘I’ve had to deal with the pressure and try to keep up my consistency levels. I feel I’ve learned so much and I’ve enjoyed working under the gaffer (McInnes) as well.
‘So all my concentration is on Aberdeen until the end of the season. After that, I’m confident I will be going back to Celtic as a better player.’
Christie will also be returning as a Scotland international after winning his first senior cap (against Holland) during his loan spell. The only downside of his time at Pittodrie was missing out on the chance to play in last year’s Scottish Cup final against his employers, resigning himself to watching the game on television while on holiday in Florida.
Already a Scottish Cup winner from his time with Inverness Caley Thistle, Christie was disappointed Aberdeen failed to reach the final this season after losing 3-0 to Motherwell in the last four.
However, he will still view it as a major achievement if he leaves Pittodrie having beaten Hibs and Rangers to second place.
‘It’s a good thing because these games will define our season and it’s exciting for me,’ added Christie.
‘I’m looking to go out on as big a high as possible and clinching second place will do that. So, we’ll have to win our next two games.
‘It’s completely in our hands. Both are home matches and we’re always going to be confident in that situation.
‘It’s about how much you want it, playing your big games at the end of the season and having a good run-in.
‘Losing in the Scottish Cup semi-final was disappointing but we came out of that remembering there was still so much to play for.
‘If we win our next two games and finish second, we’ll look back on this season as a happy one, considering how the Premiership has progressed this last year.
‘There has been a lot of hype about Hibs and Rangers fighting to catch us, but we’re still very confident we’re the second best team in the country. We now need to prove that.’
Kenny McLean is suspended today, while Manchester City’s on-loan midfielder Chidi Nwakali misses out because of injury.