Reports from Scotland have more or less confirmed that Celtic are close to landing Patrick Roberts from Manchester City on yet another year-long loan deal as the English youngster fail to nail down a spot in City’s squad. The 20-year-old has rejected moves to Ligue 1 side Nice and Premier League side Southampton choosing Parkhead as the only other destination apart from Etihad.
Manchester City have the likes of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Bernardo Silva and even Kevin De Bruyne, who can all play on the wings and execute it brilliantly leaving little to no space for Roberts. The English youngster has already proven himself with Celtic in the Scottish Premiership with critics stating that the Kingston-upon-Thames-born has been choosing the easier option over difficult leagues.
Although he could have landed a place in Pep Guardiola’s squad in the domestic cup competitions like EFL Cup or FA Cup games, the player decided to become a starter in Celtic’s Champions league games instead. Brendan Rodgers’ men play the second leg of the Champions League play-off against Kazakhstan side Astana Tuesday with the tie as good as dead. The Hoops have already won 5-0 in the first leg in Glasgow.
The Bhoys have brought in winger Jonny Hayes and midfielders Olivier Ntcham and Kundai Benyu so far, this summer and Roberts looks like their fourth and final signing. Roberts has played one and half seasons for Celtic previously since moving in the winter of 2016. And he has been nothing less than phenomenal scoring 17 goals in the process helping the club win two league titles, one Scottish Cup and a League Cup.
He has stayed 18 months with the Glasgow giants playing 60 games, already becoming a fan favourite. An academy product of AFC Wimbledon, Roberts was picked by Fulham’s famous youth system where he spent four years before catching the attention of many clubs and Manchester City had to pay a sumptuous £12 million in 2015 for the then 18-year-old.
A right winger by nature, Roberts can also play from the left as well as through the centre. Roberts is popular in Scottish Premiership for his unparalleled dribbling abilities blended with a majestic pace from the right wing as he cuts in. He isn’t afraid to shoot at the target from a distance and has some majestic goals to his name in Scotland. He is also adept at creating chances for his teammates and retains a masterful technique and ball controlling abilities.
