Ryan Christie will return to Celtic at the end of the season when his loan spell at Scottish Premiership rivals Aberdeen expires.
Ryan Christie has sampled the taste of international football and he does not want to give it up now.
The 23-year-old earned his second cap for Scotland when he came off the bench in the 77th minute of the 1-0 away win in Hungary on Tuesday. And Christie is desperate to keep himself in Alex McLeish’s thoughts as the 59-year-old rings in a new generation of young talent to kick-start his second spell in charge of his country, as reported by the Press and Journal.
But with Christie set to return to Celtic at the end of the season after a superb 18-month loan spell at Aberdeen, will this prove to be a help or a hindrance to the former Inverness youngster’s international ambitions?
Christie was fully deserving of his place in McLeish’s first Scotland squad. He has been a regular fixture in Aberdeen’s starting XI and is performing on a weekly basis, scoring seven and setting up another 13 goals in all competitions this season.
But, as the old adage goes, it is not uncommon for players to be picked on the club they represent rather than the form they are in. So, in theory, it will only aid Christie’s chances of a regular role in the Scotland team if he is playing for a Celtic side at the top of the table and featuring in the Champions League.
But therein lies the problem: Will Christie play for Celtic?
Brendan Rodgers was obviously unconvinced when he first took over, loaning Christie out to Aberdeen six months into his managerial spell at Parkhead before including him as part of the deal that brought Jonny Hayes to Celtic last summer.
If Christie is stuck on the Celtic bench, McLeish has enough other midfield options to overlook him.
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