Former teammate claims Ryan Christie can flourish in PL amid Celtic exit speculation

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Former Inverness winger has compared Celtic midfielder, and former teammate, Ryan Christie to England international and Leicester City star James Maddison.

Speaking to The Daily Record, the 33-year-old attacker, who currently plays for non-league side Halifax Town, believes that Christie has what it takes to compete in the Premier League amid speculation that the midfielder could make the move to the English top-flight, and that the Scotland international is up there, ability-wise, with some of the biggest names in the division.

The duo played with one another for three seasons with Inverness, winning the Scottish Cup in 2015, and Williams believes that, compared to other players who have come through the Scottish football pyramid, Christie is up there with some of the best he’s ever played alongside.

Williams said: “Players ask who the best you’ve played with is and I always say, Ryan. I reckon he could easily play in the Premier League. I look at players like James Maddison, who played in Scotland and is now in the Premier League, and I don’t think there’s any difference.

“He’s easily at that level. I played against the likes of John McGinn and Stuart Armstrong. They are top players as well and you see how well they have done in England. Ryan is every bit as good, if not better.”

TBR View: Christie can follow recent run of SPL players flourishing in England

The Scottish Premiership might be viewed as a league, in England, as a division of lesser quality than that of the Premier League, but the track record players to make the move beyond the border has been impressive in recent years.

The aforementioned McGinn and Armstrong have impressed since joining Aston Villa and Southampton respectively, whilst Kieran Tierney has starred for Arsenal since his move to the north London side in the summer of 2019.

And for Christie, who could be reunited with Tierney with 90min claiming that the Gunners are interested in the midfielder, he could be the latest player from the SPL to make the move to the Premier League and shine in a similar fashion McGinn and Maddison have done after spending the early years of their careers in Scotland.