Ryan Christie’s Celtic contract expires this summer, and many would have expected the Hoops to allow his deal to run down.
Heading into this week, Celtic fans would have been forgiven for thinking that Ryan Christie’s days on the Hoops’ books may be numbered as his contract runs down.
Given his lack of game-time since, it appeared to be a safe bet to suggest that Christie’s contract situation at Parkhead had not changed. His only domestic start this season came in the 2-1 defeat to Kilmarnock last month.
But after a bright performance in the Europa League defeat to RB Leipzig on Thursday, he was handed a spot on the bench for the League Cup semi-final clash with Hearts – subsequently coming on at half-time to replace Olivier Ntcham.
A drab, goalless first-half prompted Celtic to step their game up significantly after the interval. And Christie played a key role in inspiring their 3-0 win at Murrayfield.
He won the penalty that allowed Scott Sinclair to break the deadlock and had the attempt on goal that surprisingly led to James Forrest doubling Celtic’s lead.
And Christie got his rewards for a brilliant performance by rounding off the victory in some style in the final 20 minutes. It was a game-changing display from the midfielder – and it is one that could well prove to be a turning point in his Celtic career.
The performance showed how dangerous Christie could be in that attacking midfield role that Celtic have somewhat struggled to fill since Stuart Armstrong’s £7 million move to Southampton in the summer – fee reported by BBC Sport.
He has performed well against a top Bundesliga side and the current Scottish Premiership leaders this week. So could this week go down as the starting point as Christie looks to turn his Parkhead career around and earn a new contract with the Bhoys?
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