Christie says Ange right for the job but arrived too late to change his mind on leaving Celtic

HAD the timing of Ange Postecoglou’s arrival been different, then it’s possible Ryan Christie would have stayed longer at Celtic.

However, moving into the last six months of his contract, the 26-year-old’s heart and head were already set on something new by the time the Australian was appointed manager in June.

Christie joined Postecoglou’s squad after the Euros and impressed sufficiently to be handed a key role during the opening weeks of the season.

Ultimately, he would depart on deadline day for Bournemouth but he saw enough during those early weeks that the new boss was the right man to restore a competitive edge after a barren season.

Christie (pictured below with Postecoglou) said: ‘Before I left, I was able to get a taste of Ange’s training and I tried to be quite vocal about how much I enjoyed it and how good he was.

‘The longer he stays in the job, the more successful Celtic will be. They have had some good results, good performances and good results in Europe as well.

‘I am keeping an eye out for all the boys I am pally with up the road and hoping they do well.’

One of those thriving under Postecoglou is midfielder David Turnbull, an ever-present at club level this season.

Thrown into a struggling team by Neil Lennon last term, the £3million buy from Motherwell seemed unaffected by the club’s wider malaise and has kicked on under fresh management.

Christie continued: ‘Dave has been quality ever since he stepped into the

Celtic side. He is now one of the first names on the team sheet which is a credit to him.

‘When he came into the squad last season we were struggling a bit and he seemed to be the only shining light, so I am buzzing for him.

‘He had an injury setback earlier in his career but he has done so well to bounce back and show his talent.’

While Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer raked in around £30m in transfer fees over the summer, Christie’s departure brought in the comparatively modest sum of £3m.

Originally signed from Inverness Caledonian Thistle for £500,000 in 2015, he still delivered a five-fold profit for Celtic and insists the move to England’s south coast was something he could not afford to turn down.

‘There were multiple reasons why I decided to move on but a new challenge at different places was definitely one of them,’ said Christie.

‘It’s been a bit of a breath of fresh air and I am really relishing the football side of it.

‘I try to promote Scottish football as much as I can to all the Bournemouth boys. But as much as they don’t really know a lot about our game, I was surprised at how much I didn’t know about the Championship.

‘I knew Stoke City had a big stadium but then you visit places like Bristol City and you realise they also have a massive ground.

‘After all those years (in Scottish football), it’s nice to have a change.’