IT’S TIME TO GET A LITTLE MESSI
Playing like Lionel comes naturally to me, says Celtic loan star Roberts
PATRICK ROBERTS believes that to be the best, you must learn from the best. The very best. As he settled into his new surroundings, Celtic’ slate st lo a nee from Manchester City admitted he has actively sought to model his game on Lionel Messi.
Hour upon hour has been spent poring over footage of the Barcelona icon in an attempt to absorb all the otherworldly skills on view.
Roberts isn’ t saying he has succeeded. The diminutive 18-year-old exudes confidence, not delusion. But he sees nothing wrong in striving to reach the highest point his talent can make possible.
That natural ability to glide forward with the ball, usually cutting in from the right flank, persuaded City to strike a deal worth £11million with Fulham last summer.
A search for consistent first-team football now means that Parkhead will be Roberts’ base for the next 18 months. And the teenager is clearly eager to put on a show.
‘It’s a conscious thing from me to try to be like Messi,’ said Roberts, born in Kingston upon Thames. ‘I’ve watched him for years and he’s my idol.
‘You try to copy what he does and it also comes naturally to me as well. Because I’m left-footed I tend to move the same way as he does.
‘In games I try to replicate what he does. I’ve studied him on YouTube and when La Liga is on, I watch that all the time. My view is that you watch the best to learn from the best.
‘I’m very determined. I started playing for Fulham at 14, which is quite late, and was in and around the first team at 16.
‘I’ve got the determination to play at the highest level and I’m more than capable to do it.
‘I’ve got the head for it, the mental side and the ability and my goals are achievable.’
The aim is for regular action at Celtic to help clear a path towards the City first team. For that to happen, his performances will have to catch the eye of Messi’s old manager, Pep Guardiola.
The power of the club Roberts has j ust exited was f urther underlined yesterday when it was confirmed Guardiola will replace Manuel Pellegrini at the Etihad Stadium this summer.
‘Managers come and go and a club as big as City can do as they please,’ said Roberts, remaining non-committal.
‘Pep has done it at Bayern and Barca, and it will be good to see how he does with City next season.
‘Obviously City are in Europe as well next year, so maybe we’ll come across each other. I just want to do well at Celtic and help this club out.’
Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA’s f ormer di r ector of f ootball development, has lauded Roberts as a player capable of helping England win Euro 2020. The West Ham legend also criticised City for the lack of first-team opportunities t hey al l owed t he Under- 1 9 international.
Such words, on top of the transfer fee that was paid for him, could create an inhibiting pressure. Roberts, t hough, cl ai ms to welcome the hype.
‘The price tag is what it is — the clubs decide on that,’ he said. ‘But the expectation motivates me.
‘I met Sir Trevor Brooking at the Under-17 Euros and he was there when we got to the Final.
‘He speaks highly of me, but those expectations motivate me to be better. I want to be the best and I strive to be the best I can every day.’
Scotland may not seem the most obvious environment for that to happen. After all, the view of the general standard from down south is hardly flattering.
Roberts (below) insists he had no such second thoughts about the switch. Anxious to play a part in retaining the Premiership title and qualifying f or next
season’s Champions League, he sees plentiful opportunity in Glasgow.
It helped that Jason Denayer could detail the benefits of his loan spell with Celtic last term. Aside from winning two trophies, the Belgian centreback was named PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year and also gained a first full cap for his country.
‘Jason had good things to say about Celtic at the start of the season,’ said Roberts of Denayer, now on loan at Galatasaray.
‘The lads in the changing room also said to me to go out and play. I sit next to Fabian Delph and Gael Clichy and they are my best buddies.
‘They give me stick but they also know that I’m a good player and they said it was best to go away and express myself. ‘My agent called me and said Celtic were interested — and when you hear that, you want to come and play for such a big club.
‘When you are not playing you need to get out and play regular football. The manager (Pellegrini) knew that and we agreed that coming here to play football was the best thing for me.
‘I hate watching football. I like getting involved, scoring goals and having moments on the field that you can cherish forever. Playing is more enjoyable than anything.
‘I asked the manager at the start of the season about going out on loan but he wanted me to stay and train with the likes of David Silva and Sergio Aguero. I was happy with that.
‘He said he’d try to get me games because he saw me in training and knew I was a good player. I was unlucky with injuries but he was always very good with me.’
Now it is Ronny Deila whom Roberts will be working under. The Norwegian finds himself back under intense scrutiny from supporters after Celtic’s Treble ambitions were ended by Sunday’s 3-1 League Cup semi-final defeat to Ross County.
‘The manager came to see me and knows I should be playing regularly,’ said Roberts, who has not yet discussed the prospect of a debut against Aberdeen tomorrow evening with Deila.
‘He knows that I’m a good player and, if I can do well for him, it will benefit him.’
For Roberts, the move to Celtic will also realise a childhood ambition, albeit in a roundabout way. He grew up a Liverpool fan, wondering what it would be like to run out to You’ll Never Walk Alone.
‘I know they play that here, so that’s good,’ he smiled. ‘My dad is a Liverpool fan and my mum is Everton — there’s a divide.’
I have the mental side and ability to play at the highest level