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Celtic are through to the League Cup final following a comfortable 3-0 win over Hearts at Murrayfield. The star of the show for the Bhoys, did not actually start the game. After Eboue Kouassi and Olivier Ntcham picked up early injuries, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers threw Ryan Christie into to the fray.
The results were clear to see. He put in a brilliant display and even found himself on the scoresheet with a well-taken finish from the edge of the box. The fact he assisted the other two goals highlights his brilliance in the game.
After the game, Brendan Rodgers spoke of his desire to hand the Scot a new deal at Parkhead, with his current deal expiring in the summer.
For Sunderland boss Jack Ross, it was certainly a validation of his late swoop for the attacking midfielder in the summer.
“Ryan is a player that I like, he has good qualities but again it is a balance between what we need in the squad…He is a player that I am acutely aware of and he fits the kind of bracket in terms of he has played a lot of games for a young man.”
Toward the end of the transfer window, Sunderland were heavily linked with a loan swoop for the player. Ross even admitted as much. However, Christie did not make the move. Sunderland had not yet resolved the situations involving AWOL duo Papy Djilobodji and Didier Ndong, meaning money was stretched. Meanwhile, Christie was happy to fight for his place at Celtic.
In the end, Sunderland snapped up Max Power, but Christie would undoubtedly have been a huge signing for Sunderland.
Sunderland should certainly keep an eye on his contract situation going forward, as he might still be an option come next summer.