This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Former Scotland and Aberdeen manager Craig Brown has heaped huge praise on Celtic star Ryan Christie, claiming he thought he is better than emerging England star James Maddison.
What’s the word?
Maddison finally got his England call-up this week, and the Leicester City ace certainly deserved it.
He racked up seven goals and seven assists last season, and was also the Premier League’s best chance-creator, leading the way with a remarkable 100 chances created, two more than Real Madrid superstar Eden Hazard.
Brown though, who managed the pair while they were both on loan at Pittodrie, believes Christie is right up there alongside the Foxes man, if not even better.
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Per The Scottish Sun, he said: “Ryan has been outstanding at Celtic. At Aberdeen we had Ryan on loan and we also had James Maddison on loan.
“Maddison went for around £20m to Leicester City and now he’s in the England squad.
“But when Ryan was at Aberdeen, my feeling was that he was the better of the two players.”
He continued: “So it’s no surprise how well he’s doing at Celtic now. Ryan can be a big help for Scotland and can become a key player.”
Deserved praise
After Leicester splashed out £20m and handed Maddison a five-year deal, he could have ended up on the endless list of overpriced English talent who simply don’t cut it in the Premier League.
Instead, he blossomed into the top-flight’s best playmaker and earned a place in Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad.
And while Brown’s comparison may seem a bit bold, Christie has enjoyed a similarly meteoric rise.
After his fantastic loan spell at Aberdeen, the Celtic star directly contributed to 20 goals for the Hoops last year on route to a domestic treble, and has started this campaign even better.
The 24 year-old has eight goals and five assists in 12 appearances in all competitions, and you can certainly forgive Brown for his confidence in Celtic’s young star.
