Ryan Christie has been described as being “really enthusiastic” by Ange Postecoglou since the new boss arrived at Celtic Park, despite question marks over his future.
Christie had a tough campaign last year under Neil Lennon and John Kennedy, with major dips in his performance levels. However, he impressed in our first competitive match of the season against Midtjylland several weeks ago before netting his first goal under Postecoglou against Jablonec.
All the while, of course, his contract is ticking down like a time bomb. Christie’s deal is up in January, with no update on a new deal being signed.
Yet even despite all of the uncertainty, Postecoglou has highlighted Christie for how positive he’s been since he came into the job.
As quoted by the Scottish Sun, Postecoglou said: “Ryan is playing well, training well, and is pretty good at putting the distractions to one side. If something changes in the next few weeks we will deal with it.
“Right now, Ryan is contributing to what we are doing and that’s important for us. Ryan has been really enthusiastic since I have been here. He has been really energetic and always has a smile on his face. That’s all I can ask for.
“I can’t dictate his future but in terms of what he’s doing for me, I couldn’t be happier with him.”
Ryan Christie likely won’t make his Celtic future known to manager and supporters
We all know the easy solution here. If Christie simply came out and explained what he wanted to do in the long-term, fans and the manager would accept it.
However, the problem is that Christie could easily have his eyes on departing the football club. If he comes out and admits that too early into the season, he could go weeks and months without game-time.
It would be a move that would potentially affect the clubs that are interested in him. Christie will be looking out for himself, and by playing on a weekly basis he’s improving his chances of a better move in January. Especially if he’s starting to perform again also.
Unfortunately, this refusal to make his long-term plans known also comes with a side-effect. It means that there will always be question marks over his future. Regardless of performance, he’ll still be scheduled to leave the club in just a few months.
If Christie was eyeing up a Parkhead stay this summer, it could easily be achieved. A new contract has likely already been thrown at him. There’s no rush to sign it, and if he was buying into the new manager, surely he would’ve sorted out his long-term future by now.
A big few months lies ahead for the Scotland international. But when you take everything into consideration, it’s still difficult to see him staying. Nothing has changed on that front.
In other news, Ange Postecoglou explains why he dropped Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard vs Jablonec
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