Scotland and ex-Celtic star signs new deal on eve of Haiti clash

As he gets set to face Haiti for Scotland at the World Cup, Ryan Christie has been announced on a three-year deal at Bournemouth.

The midfilelder impressed in the Premier League last season, playing in a deeper role than before, and was attracting interest from Aston Villa, where he could have been teamed up with Scotland teammate John McGinn.

But the 31-year-old former Celtic star has opted to stay put on the south coast, and is now tied down until 2029.

Christie told his club’s website: “It feels brilliant. I’m absolutely delighted, to be fair. Especially after the way the season finished —-it’s been such an incredible year for the club with qualifying for Europe. I’m really looking forward to next season already.

“With the World Cup coming up as well, it felt like the perfect time to get this sorted before heading away for that, and now I can fully focus on next season. Honestly, I already want it to start.

“When I joined the club, I obviously had aspirations to play in the Premier League and I strongly believed we could get promoted, but the journey we’ve been on since then has been incredible.

“I’ve been so fortunate to be part of it and to play so many games along the way. Since getting promoted, we’ve never really looked back. Five years on, to now be in this position signing a new contract, it’s really special.

“It genuinely feels like home for me down here now. I know I’m a northern lad originally, but this is home. I’ve had my little boy down here, I got married down here – we’ve properly built a family life here, so it means a lot.”