Scotland manager Steve Clarke has heavily praised Celtic star Ryan Christie after his incredible progress at the Hoops over the last 12 months, The Scottish Sun report.
During what has been a meteoric rise, Christie has gone from being a forgotten fringe member of the Celtic squad to an integral first-team player.
He’s well on his way to doing the same with the Scotland squad too. After impressing in matches last November, he missed call ups in March and June due to injury.
Now he’s been included for this month’s double header against Russia and Belgium. Clarke is well aware of the qualities that have made him a Hoops regular.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, Clarke said of the player: “Ryan’s been terrific for Celtic. He’s started really well — very direct, gets at people, has a great left foot and excites.
“Sometimes you have a No 10 who is a luxury player. I think he’s a bit more than that.
“If you watch Ryan play it’s not a free role in there because when he hasn’t got the ball he goes chasing after people all the time. He’s not a tackler, not a ball-winner but he’s always ratting around people.”
All round offering
Clarke really gets to the heart of why Christie has been so important to Celtic recently. He’s right, he isn’t just a player who we rely upon to get goals and assists, but someone who has the stamina and commitment to provide a robust midfield presence without the ball too.
That’s not to say he doesn’t contribute in attack either. The player has scored eight goals and assisted five times in 12 appearances already this season. It’s a fantastic return.
When you consider we’ve relied upon Tom Rogic in the number 10 position over the last few seasons, Christie is offering much more energy and a more consistent week-to-week contribution.
Right now he looks unstoppable. Hopefully we see his stunning form continue today against Rangers at Ibrox.
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