Celtic will have a star if Patrick Roberts follows Arjen Robben’s lead

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Celtic loanee Patrick Roberts models his game on Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben, arguably the greatest natural winger in the modern era.

There are worse players for a young wideman to model his game on than Arjen Robben.

The Dutch wing wizard has won league titles with Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, scored over 200 goals in his professional career and, at the ripe old age of 33, remains as electrifying as ever. Robben is also the owner of arguably football’s greatest and most unstoppable trademark – that imitable cut-inside-and-shoot tactic that works almost every time.

And Celtic’s very own budding wing sensation hopes he, one day, can match the efficiency and consistency of one of the greatest players of the modern era.

“Arjen Robben’s got that technical ability to cut in and put it in the top corner which I try and work on – obviously not to the level that he does – but I will keep working on improving and one day I’ll get there and score goals as routinely as that,” Patrick Roberts told The Evening Times ahead of Celtic’s crucial Champions League clash with Bayern later this month.

“I’m sure any winger will tell you about the art of how he has done that. Throughout his years of playing at Chelsea, Madrid and Bayern Munich he’s worked at perfecting his style of play, and with him being older now, it just comes naturally to him.

“Hopefully as I go on, I’ll learn that skill.”

If Roberts can become half the player Robben has been over the last decade or so, Celtic – and Manchester City in the long run – will have quite the talent on their hands this season.

The 20-year-old, who fought tooth and nail to return to Parkhead on another loan deal from Manchester City in the summer, took his game to a whole new level last season. Roberts played a crucial part as Celtic won the domestic treble for the first time since 2001, scoring 11 goals and producing another 19 assists in all competitions.

And he appears to have the raw talent, skill and eye for goal to one day follow in the footsteps of the masterful Robben. Celtic fans will be hoping he makes substantial strides in the right direction before he returns to the Etihad in the summer.