The former Celtic star’s current manager appears to have opened the door for him to make a Parkhead return, if the Hoops are indeed interested.
It is nothing new for Celtic to be linked with their former players. For some reason, whenever one of them is struggling, a return to Parkhead is suggested as the solution to their woes.
Normally, these rumours fade away with time. But one man who has been constantly linked with Celtic for several years is Patrick Roberts.
The Englishman enjoyed a very productive loan spell with the Hoops although his last season was marred by injury. Even then, a return of 18 goals and 26 assists in 78 appearances for a winger who was a teenager for most of that time is spectacular.
His career has taken a turn for the worse since leaving the club though. Since then he has scored just 2 goals and clearly a change of scenery is needed.
Currently on loan at Middlesbrough, Neil Warnock has admitted that he will not stand in Roberts’ way if he wants to leave after failing to nail a spot in the first-team. As reported by The Scottish Sun, the manager said:
"“I’ve had a chat with Patrick, and he’s aware of the situation. I think the lad wants to play.“I don’t want him to leave, but I’ve said to him that if he wants to, or if he thinks he can improve his chances of playing by going somewhere different, then I wouldn’t stand in his way.“He’s aware of that. Unless it’s a good club, he might as well stay here and try to fight for his place, really.”"
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Now, the question is whether it makes sense for Celtic to make a move. It is undeniable that they are in need of a right winger. James Forrest has spent months on the sidelines with an ankle injury that needed surgery. And in the absence of a genuine replacement, Ryan Christie and Jeremie Frimpong have been deployed there.
Neither of them are right wingers though. And the absence of a genuine option on the flank has been exposed badly.
Clearly, Roberts is not someone in form. But he has shown in the past that he can get the job done in Scottish football. There were some positives signs last season as well when he scored once and provided 3 assists in 631 minutes for Middlesbrough. As a result, it might be worth the risk to give him another chance if the opportunity does arise in January.