CELTS STARS PAY TRIBUTE

CELTIC stars Patrick Roberts and Dedryck Boyata last night paid tribute to the victims of the Manchester terror attack.

The suicide bombing at the end of an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena killed 22 people, with a further 59 injured. Both Roberts and Boyata played for Manchester City prior to joining Celtic, with the winger due to return to the Etihad Stadium when his loan deal ends after Saturday’s Scottish Cup final.

Roberts stayed in an apartment near the Arena before moving to Glasgow and had attended concerts at the venue.

‘It’s a tragic thing to happen and my thoughts go out to all the families,’ he said. ‘Girls «TURN TO PAGE 95, COL 2

and boys going to watch a concert. ‘It wasn’t far from where I was living in Manchester. It is a horrible thing to have happened and my thoughts are with all the families. ‘I’ve been to the Arena a few times, it is the main one in Manchester and they have a lot of things on there. ‘You never quite know what is going to happen and it’s just so sad that people are going to a concert and a bomb goes off. ‘What a sad thing to witness for the people who were there. It does put life and football in perspective. ‘It’s a tough time for the whole world and it’s good that we can unite and get behind the country. My thoughts are with all the families and everyone in Manchester right now.’ Team-mate Boyata (pictured) spent almost a decade at City after leaving Belgium to join them as a youth player. He moved to Celtic in a £1million switch in June 2015. ‘It’s a tragedy,’ said Boyata. ‘As soon as I heard it this morning, I texted everyone that I know back in Manchester to make sure that they’re okay. ‘It’s very bad news and all of us are thinking about those affected. It’s so sad.’