Inverness youngster Ryan Christie will not throw a tantrum if he is left out of the Caley Thistle line-up for Saturday's clash with St Johnstone - because he knows John Hughes is only protecting him.

The 19-year-old was dropped for Partick's Highlands visit last week despite scoring the winner against Dundee the match before.

And it proved to be a wise choice by Hughes as the teenage playmaker was spared the worst parts of the Jags' shock 4-0 win.

The Scotland Under-21 cap hopes to be back in Hughes' side for this weekend's Perth visit but knows his boss will be looking after him if he does not make the starting line-up.

He said: "I wasn't too disappointed to be left out last week. I believe the manager and he talks about resting me and protecting me.

"I believe wholeheartedly that he's doing that, so I trust him whatever team he picks.

"You always expect that he will want to freshen things up after a bad performance. He did that after the Dundee game when we weren't great and it might happen after the Partick defeat.

"That's good for the likes of me who were left on the bench and who want to prove they should be getting a start."