Former Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie has opened up on his controversial move to Bournemouth last summer.

The Scotland international chose to leave Parkhead in favour of the EFL Championship when he swapped the green and white hoops for the black and red stripes of the Cherries.

Often a divisive figure in social media terms, Christie's move was met - which came amid impressive form for Ange Postecolglou - with plenty of question marks north of the border.

The 25-year-old, however, insists social media trolls aren't something that appear on his radar and he only hears about any negativity second-hand.

"Oh, I heard some of the chat about me leaving Celtic and some of the comments that were made,' he told the Daily Mail.

"To be honest, I tended to ignore it. I heard about it more from family or my mates but I didn't bother reading or listening to it myself.

"For my career, I knew what I wanted to do. I had to leave Celtic for the sake of change and a new football challenge.

"And when I spoke early on to Scott Parker about moving to Bournemouth, everything about the move felt right."

His ultimate aim of playing in the Premier League was realised as he helped Bournemouth win promotion to the top flight at the first time of asking.

"There was other interest in me at the time. Burnley and another club were interested in taking me straight into the Premier League, and that might have been an easier route for me," he said.

"But I wanted to join a club where I would enjoy my football, and see plenty of the ball, and I really enjoyed our campaign last season in the Championship with Bournemouth. They have got a style of football at this club which suits me.

"The plan was always to play lots of football and enjoy my career, which I did last season, and get promoted. And we achieved that.

"When I look back, it feels like I made the right choice in coming to Bournemouth."

The Cherries face a difficult season to ensure they stay there but got their campaign off to the best start possible by beating Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium.

Christie was a substitute but came on for the final five minutes or so in a low-key Premier League bow.

"For sure, it is tough, it is going to be a serious challenge for us,' he said. "We know — and we have emphasised this in training — how demanding the Premier League is going to be.

"We know we will need to match up to that challenge, mentally and physically, because that is a big part of top-flight football these days.

"These are the games I was desperate to play in. I now have this opportunity to play against the best club sides in the world, so it feels really exciting.

"This was why I left Celtic: to play in the Premier League, to get that chance, to show that I could handle it. Well, now I'm here. Now I have that chance."