Patrick Roberts shone at Celtic on loan from Manchester City and Brendan Rodgers could take Charly Musonda to the next level too.
Celtic’s Patrick Roberts won a treble in 2016/17
If Patrick Roberts somehow manages to force his way into Pep Guardiola’s first-team plans at Manchester City, the Catalan will have Celtic to thank.
During a prolonged loan with the Scottish champions, Roberts evolved as both a player and a person, transforming from a talented youngster a well-rounded and efficient winger capable of both scoring and creating in equal measure.
Perhaps Chelsea should keep this in mind as Celtic attempt to compensate for Roberts’ departure by swooping for Blues’ wonder kid Charly Musonda.
The Daily Record reported recently that the fleet-footed Belgian was a target for Celtic this summer. However, Musonda’s father has told Het Laatste Nieuws that Chelsea will not allow him to leave on loan in the coming weeks with manager Antonio Conte promising him playing time next season.
Whether that means regular outings in the starting XI, however, is doubtful. After all, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Nathanial Chalobah, Nathan Ake and Kurt Zouma all appeared sparingly as Chelsea cruised to the Premier League title.
Ruben Loftus Cheek was expected to feature far more regularly under Conte
So what chance Musonda, who has not even made his senior debut since signing from Anderlecht five years ago, making his mark?
It seems that the 20-year-old making a short-term move to Celtic would benefit all parties. After all, Musonda was simply sublime during a five-month loan at Real Betis in 2015/16, his performances putting him within touching distance of a place in the senior Belgium squad.
Clearly, Musonda needs regular minutes. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers worked his magic with Roberts and he could repeat the trick with one of Europe’s most exciting attacking talents.
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