Celtic take on Roberts’ parent club Manchester City in the Champions League this week.
Celtic winger Patrick Roberts has admitted that his presence in the club’s fixture with parent club Manchester City this weekend will be largely down to his father.
Roberts joined Celtic nearly a year ago on an 18-month loan from Manchester City, where first-team opportunities were looking extremely sparse.
Patrick Roberts scores the third goal for Celtic
He has impressed fans of the Glasgow club since joining, although regular starts have still been hard to come by.
This week Celtic take on City in the Champions League, a fixture that would usually see a loan player ineligible.
But City did not put such a stipulation in his contract, as Roberts’ old man asked for it to be waived.
Roberts told The Times:
Celtic’s Patrick Roberts in action and manager Brendon Rodgers
“When they did the deal, my dad made sure I’d be able to play, although no one at the time would have anticipated it happening.
“Celtic still had to get into the group stages and then draw City so it was a long shot. When my dad asked if I could play, they didn’t argue. It was a good touch from City. It shows they want to improve their players by giving them the chance to play against the best players in the world.”
Celtic’s Patrick Roberts
Celtic go into the game with City knowing that they cannot qualify for the next stage of the Champions League or the Europa League so the fixture is something of a free shot for Brendan Rodgers’ men.
That sort of game could seriously suit the style of play Roberts has and he will love to get a chance at impressing Pep Guardiola in the opposing dugout.
Here’s hoping he can get a chance to shine for Celtic.
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