Celtic playmaker Ryan Christie is really thriving under Neil Lennon.
Celtic boss Neil Lennon has told The Scottish Sun that he wanted to take Ryan Christie to Hibernian in a swap for John McGinn last summer.
The Bhoys were pursuing a deal for McGinn under Brendan Rodgers at the time, and their lowball offers weren’t impressing Hibs at all.
In the end, Celtic somehow managed to miss out on McGinn, as he ended up joining Championship side Aston Villa instead before helping them to promotion.
McGinn has become a star for Villa and will be playing Premier League football this coming season, which has left many Celtic fans ruing missing out.
Now, Celtic boss Lennon has commented on his side of things, as he was Hibernian manager when Celtic were pursuing the Scotland international.
Lennon has now revealed that he actually wanted to take Celtic playmaker Christie to Easter Road in a swap deal, having been impressed with him at Aberdeen.
Lennon has now admitted that he’s thankful the deal didn’t go through, as he’s pleased that Christie has taken his chance to show his talent at Parkhead.
“I actually wanted Ryan at Hibs as part of the McGinn deal if it happened. I’d been impressed with him when he was on loan at Aberdeen,” said Lennon. “Thankfully it didn’t happen, he took his chance when it came along and hasn’t looked back.”
Maybe it was a sliding doors moment but he’s made the most of it. That’s the key. He works hard behind the scenes and he’s talented, too. He makes us a better team,” he added.
The 24-year-old was sensational against Nomme Kalju in the Champions League last week, notching two goals in a fine display – and whilst McGinn is starring at Villa, Christie appears to be set for a huge role at Celtic under Lennon.
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