Ryan Christie is hoping to follow Callum McGregor into the Celtic first-team by getting the most that he can out of his loan spell away from the club.

McGregor was farmed out to English side Notts County on loan back in 2013, and returned to Celtic a more accomplished player for the experience.

Christie is hoping that his own temporary spell at Aberdeen can do the same for him after already propelling him into the Scotland squad, earning his first cap for his country last Thurdsay against The Netherlands.

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And Christie will be going back to Celtic in the summer with a point to prove after honing his game at Pittodrie.

“Callum is a good example,” Christie said. “Playing alongside him during the Scotland gathering, you can see that he is an exceptional player.

“He is so gifted on the ball and you look at the way he has come through at Celtic.

“He had to go away to England to get games and progress.

“It shows that, when you do out on loan, it doesn’t mean that you are on the road out of that club.

“You can see how Callum has kicked on. He looks like one of the Top 10 players at Celtic right now and that’s great for him.

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“It’s also good for me to look at him, look at his road and try to replicate it.

“Playing week in and week out helps my belief instead of sitting there on the sidelines and thinking that I’m not good enough.

“Playing for Scotland helps confidence, it shows that I might be able to go back to Celtic and prove a point.”

One of the key things that Christie believes will stand him in good stead upon his return to his parent club, is that he is already getting a taste of dealing with pressure and expectation week-in, week-out at Aberdeen.

While not on the same level as the demands placed upon players at Celtic, Christie says the expectant Dons crowd are toughening him up and helping him to play with that weight on his shoulders.

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“There are demands at Aberdeen,” he said. “It’s one of the main reasons why I chose to go on loan.

“I’m not saying it is as big as Celtic, but there is still that pressure and expectation to win games week in and week out.

“It was key that I had that pressure placed onto me every game. That experience helps me and that I can deal with it."