Ryan Christie made his name in Scotland as a goalscoring, attack-minded playmaker, but the former Inverness Caley Thistle youngster has taken his game to a new level at Bournemouth since the arrival of Andoni Iraola.
The Spaniard has quickly been able to implement his playing style at the Vitality Stadium with great effect, and after 25 matches the Cherries sit in 14th position in the Premier League, eight points clear of the relegation zone. Prior to the ex-Rayo Vallecano boss taking up the reins last summer, 29-year-old Christie had been played by previous managers Scott Parker and Gary O'Neill in a more natural role as a number 10 or as an inverted winger to come off the flanks on other side.
But since being moved into a more defensive position as a tough-tackling, energetic midfield player, the former Celtic, Inverness and Aberdeen star has been able to completely transform his game - and the stats certainly show it.
Analysis produced by Sky Sports reveal that Christie ranks second in the English top-flight for the most possessions won in the middle third with 90, just eight behind Brentford's Christian Norgaard. His tally betters Manchester City star Rodri by four as well as Newcastle's Brazilian talisman Bruno Guimaraes who is on 80.
The Bournemouth number 10 has been hailed by his manager as the "the most tactically intuitive player" in his squad, with Christie also sitting third in the charts for the most "total pressures" applied on opposition players with 1,542 and fourth for the most "passes pressured" on 1,232.
John Hughes worked with Christie for two seasons at Inverness between 2013 and 2015, and even handed the midfielder his professional debut in Scotland. Christie went on to play a huge part in Caley's famous Scottish Cup triumph in 2015 and Hughes says he is buzzing to see his former player now excelling in the most watched league on the planet.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "He can play in any position. He is a maverick with those no-look passes, the reverses, the nutmegs. You get 10s who are lazy and stay up front. Ryan was always prepared to drop into left midfield and go all the way. He does it with a smile on his face. He enjoys it.
"I stay in touch. I am just delighted with how his career has gone and that I had the chance to work with him. It was a big decision to leave Celtic but now he is doing it in the Premier League and for Scotland."
