Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie admits he was dead set on a move to Aberdeen after manager Derek McInnes revealed he was staying at the club.
The 22-year-old completed his move to Pittodrie this summer as part of a deal that saw Dons winger Jonny Hayes move to Celtic, but the deal had earlier stalled amid speculation over the future of McInnes.
The Aberdeen manager had been heavily linked with the vacant managerial post at Sunderland prior to Simon Grayson’s appointment on Friday, with McInnes reportedly rejecting an offer to take over at the relegated club.
However, Christie has revealed that once McInnes had declared he was staying at the club, he knew he wanted to give the green light to his return to Aberdeen.
Christie had spent the second half of the 2016-17 season on loan with the Dons, where he scored seven goals and supplied three assists from 15 appearances in all competitions.
He told RedTV: “When I came back [from holiday] things had got into motion but understandably I didn’t want to make a decision until I knew the gaffer was staying.
“He called me the next day to say he had made his mind up to stay at Aberdeen and wanted to have me on board.
“As soon as I heard that my mind was made up and I wanted to come back.”
His honest admission may come as little surprise after Christie struck a chord with the Aberdeen boss during his brief spell at the club last term.
Christie had been handed regular opportunities by McInnes and had earned key player status, a role he has been unable to command at Celtic under Brendan Rodgers.
He has only made 13 first-team appearances for Celtic since his arrival at Parkhead from Scottish rivals Inverness in 2015.