Christie shone during Celtic’s 3-0 semi-final win over Hearts.
Brendan Rodgers has heaped praise on Ryan Christie when speaking to BBC Sport after the playmaker starred in Celtic’s excellent 3-0 win over Hearts on Sunday afternoon.
Christie, 23, has spent the last 18 months on loan at Aberdeen from Celtic, where he starred for Derek McInnes’ side with 15 goals and 18 assists in 57 outings. This summer, he returned to Celtic.
The Scotland international has found game time hard to come by, managing just two starts and 11 appearances in total – clocking up only 336 minutes of action.
With the scoreline deadlocked at half-time, Christie was introduced to replace the injured Olivier Ntcham and he took the game by the scruff of the neck, scoring once and creating two. He was applauded by his manager after the match.
“I always thought then, that he could come back and make a contribution,” Rodgers said. “You need the personality to play for the big clubs and be ready to play in big games. Since he’s come back, he’s shown that.
“He’s come into games, he’s started some games. Today, he’s come into the game, effected it and scored an absolutely brilliant goal – and he was involved in two others. It’s all part of his development, it was great to see.”
The Shields Gazette claimed in August that Jack Ross’ Sunderland and Barnsley wanted to lure the playmaker down south, but failed to do so with Rodgers opting to keep the Scotland international at Parkhead.
It remains to be seen if Christie’s long-term future will be at Celtic, as his contract with the Scottish champions expires at the end of the season. English clubs can land Christie on a pre-contract from January 1, if he is not given a new deal.
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