Patrick Roberts wants to return to Celtic after a stellar loan spell last season – but Manchester City have other ideas.
Patrick Roberts could hardly have done more at Celtic last season to catch the eye of Pep Guardiola. The Manchester City loanee scored 11 goals and set up another 19 as the Glasgow giants secured a remarkable domestic treble, going the whole season unbeaten to boot.
And that’s without mentioning the superb individual goal he scored against his parent club in the Champions League group stages.
Yet, having been left out of the squad for City’s opening day victory at Brighton on Saturday, it appears that Roberts will spend another 12 months away from the Etihad with the likes of David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Bernardo Silva and 17-year-old starlet Phil Foden all ahead of him in the pecking order.
Therefore, it’s little surprise that Celtic would welcome Roberts back with open arms, according to the Sunday Post. Manager Brendan Rodgers was hoping he could register the 20-year-old in time for Wednesday’s Champions League qualifier against Astana.
He would rather the former Fulham wonderkid further his footballing education with reported suitors Southampton or Nice, who would give Roberts the chance to prove his worth in a more competitive league.
Yet, while Guardiola is obviously acting in the best interests of Roberts’ development, the Evening Times report that the winger has made his desire to return to Celtic clear and is growing increasingly frustrated at the ongoing stand-off.
Yet, you can see Guardiola’s point. Roberts would surely benefit from being exposed to regular Premier League football with Southampton, particularly if he wants to prove he could make the grade at City.
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