The winger is currently on loan with the Scottish Premiership side.
Celtic’s Patrick Roberts in action
Brendan Rodgers has suggested that Patrick Roberts’ loan spell at Celtic is an opportunity for the Scottish Premiership champions to sell themselves just in case there comes a point in the future when the winger is available to sign on a permanent basis, the Daily Record reports.
The 19-year-old joined the Hoops in January on a loan deal that should keep him at Parkhead until the end of next season.
And while Rodgers insisted that he had no problem using the loan market to better the squad – Roberts was signed by his predecessor Ronny Deila – he hinted that the feeder club must be keeping one eye on the possible benefits that they can get from the deal in the long-term.
“I’m relaxed about the fact he’s only here on loan. Of course, you would like players to come in as permanent signings,” he told the Record.
“But I like to work with good players. The loan does two things. It allows the player to buy into the team, commit and take on responsibility.
“Also, it’s a chance for us to sell the club. There might be a point down the line where he has to leave City.
“If he’s had a good experience with us, we probably stand a greater chance of bringing him here on a permanent basis.”
While Roberts only made 12 league appearances last term, he arguably made enough of an impact to suggest that he has the potential to be a special player.
He scored seven goals in those games, which is a hugely impressive return for a winger. And a similar strike-rate during the full season of his loan spell would make it difficult to imagine that any team will be able to deny Celtic clinching another title.
But with the riches of wealth and talent that his parent club have in their squad, the former Fulham man will arguably need to return to City as a player that is ready for the first-team if he hopes to make the grade, as they could quite easily turn to the transfer market and send him further down the pecking order if he is not quite ready.
And having been given the freedom to play his natural game at Celtic, he may well decide that returning to them in the future on a permanent basis is the right decision for his career.
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