Neil Lennon has heaped praise on Ryan Christie, likening him to one of Manchester City’s midfielders after Christie came off the bench to assist Christopher Jullien’s goal in Sunday’s win over Hamilton Accies.
The manager suggested that the pass to set up Jullien was of a similar quality to City’s Kevin De Bruyne. Speaking to Celtic TV, Lennon praised Christie – who is returning from injury – and fired an ominous message to Celtic’s rivals.
“His energy is fantastic and so is his enthusiasm but more than anything it’s his quality.
“The quality of the ball for the second goal is De Bruyne-esque.”
“Having Ryan back after being out for a month is such a bonus for us.
“Tom Rogic came on and did a great job, Johnny Hayes too.
“But Ryan’s had a fantastic season and we’ll see more off him as we go along.”
The return to form of Celtic’s big players could further the gap that has opened up between the nine-in-a-row chasers and Steven Gerrard’s second placed Rangers.
The quality that Tom Rogic and Ryan Christie give you in the middle of the park – especially when coming off the bench – highlights how strong the Celtic team is and it will be interesting if any of the three Celtic substitutes are included in the lineup for the game versus Motherwell on Wednesday.
Rogic is one of the best players in Scotland, his engine is what lets him down but given time on the pitch he will be able to showcase his talents – as he did on Sunday with a superb reverse pass through to Odsonne Edouard for Celtic’s third.
