Ryan Christie left the club this summer but he has admitted he was tempted to stay at the club more than he thought he might by the introduction of Ange Postecoglou.
The midfielder was glowing in his praise of the Celtic manager and believes the hoops have backed a winner.
Ange took over in the summer during a very tumultuous time at the club and has managed to galvanise the players and the support.
Ryan’s heart was set on moving down south long before Ange came in but there was a part of him who would’ve liked to play for the Australian a little longer.
Christie details how professional the manager was and how Ange treated him in his final months at Celtic.
If you’re a Celtic fan, the comments from our former midfielder should serve to boost what we already know about our manager.
“From what I’ve seen of Ange through working with him, I’m convinced Celtic can get back on top with him in charge. If Ange is the manager for a long time they will be successful. I’ve no doubt about that,” the former Celtic midfielder told RecordSport.
“I could tell that from one of the first sessions he took. It’s actually frustrating that part of me wishes I’d have got to work under him for a bit longer. But my time was up and I needed a change.
“I get on really well with Ange and enjoyed playing under him. I can’t say a bad word about him. He was superb from the get-go. He came in and realised that my situation was a bit strange in terms of my contract running out. But he just said to me that whether I was going to be there for three weeks, three months or five years, he would treat me as part of the squad.
“That was music to my ears because I was scared that my situation might automatically mean that I didn’t play as much. He could have gone with players who – from the outside – might have looked more committed to what he was trying to do.
“But the way I trained, I like to think I proved that I was worthy of playing under him and willing to learn, even at that stage. In such a short space of time with him, I learned plenty which is amazing.
“I owe him a big thank you and I wish him and the team all the best. I really want him to do well.
“He understood my decision totally. I made it clear that it was maybe time for a new challenge and he didn’t hold that against me. That’s all I could ask for and the way he dealt with things was brilliant.
“That’s the way I think managers should be. You hear about it getting a bit nasty at other clubs but he was perfect.”
Ryan played some outstanding football under Ange at the beginning of the season. The Scotland international did not have his head down even though he was looking to move.
In the end, it was probably time for Ryan to move on and for Celtic to enter a new chapter without some of the main players from our incredible success over the past five years.
Ryan’s hope is to make it to the Premier League with Bournemouth. We wish him all the best.
