Former Celtic striker John Hartson has admitted that he is happy to see Ryan Christie stepping up for the Bhoys and insisted that it is the right time for the youngster to show that he can make it at Parkhead.
Christie, who spent two seasons on loan at Aberdeen after signing from Inverness in 2015, is slowly starting to feature prominently under Brendan Rodgers this term.
The 23-year-old scored for the third game in a row across all competitions when he completed the rout during the Bhoys’ 5-0 thrashing of league leaders Hearts at Parkhead on Saturday in the Scottish Premiership.
Christie had played a part in every single goal after coming on for the injured Oliver Ntcham during Celtic’s 3-0 win over Hearts in the semi-final of the Scottish League Cup last week in a performance that has rewarded him with an extended run in the team.
Hartson, who spent five years at Parkhead, admitted that he is happy to see Christie stepping up and performing at such a high standard for the Scottish champions in recent weeks.
The former Celtic hitman also insisted that it is the right time for the youngster to show that he can establish himself as a senior professional at Parkhead in the future.
“I was really pleased with Ryan Christie and how he came on and changed the game, along with Scott Sinclair who I speak about elsewhere”, Hartson wrote in his column for the Evening Times.
“Ryan is 23 now so if he is going to make it at Celtic then it has to be now.
"He was loan back to Inverness Caley Thistle after signing and then spent two spells at Aberdeen.
“Now is the the time for him to step up.
“And if he can build on winning a penalty, and it was a pen, the first goal which will be credited to him and then that excellent striker…it would help his manager hugely.
“I'm not sure Brendan has always trusted his fringe players; however, if Ryan can come in and play like he did, then he can play a huge part over the rest of the season”, he added.
Celtic have a game in hand and are just a single point behind Hearts, who are currently leading the pack with 26 points from 12 games.
