Aberdeen loan midfielder Ryan Christie believes playing under the pressure at Aberdeen has made him a better player.
The former Caley Thistle player has dazzled for the Dons this season and made his international debut for Scotland in last week’s 1-0 defeat by Holland at Pittodrie.
He said: “Playing week in, week out helps my belief instead of sitting there on the sidelines and thinking that I’m not good enough.
“There are demands at Aberdeen. It’s one of the main reasons why I chose to go on loan.
“There is still that pressure and expectation to win games week in and week out.
“It was key that I had that pressure placed on me every game. That experience helps me and that I can deal with it.
“Everyone talks about when you go out on loan and getting game time but it has really helped me to be playing every week.
“I’m really loving my football with Aberdeen with the way we are playing.
“It is showing. My performances at the beginning of the season were a bit up and down and my consistency is something that I need to work on.
“I need to make sure I’m churning out good performances on a weekly basis.
“If I can get consistent at the top of my game, I’ll be happy.”
Christie hopes his experience at Pittodrie can help him break into the Celtic first team under Brendan Rogers next season and the midfielder is using Callum McGregor as inspiration he can still become a key player at his parent club.
McGregor also won his first cap against the Dutch as reward for an impressive start to the season at Parkhead.
Christie believes McGregor, who spent a season at Notts County, is proof that loan spells away from the Scottish Premiership champions can be beneficial. He said: “Playing for Scotland helps confidence, it shows that I might be able to go back to Celtic and prove a point.
“Callum is a good example. 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.
“It’s also good for me to look at him, look at his road and try to replicate it.”