Development Needs Proper Management

Patrick Roberts appreciates all that Brendan Rodgers has done to help him develop as a player. The manager's forward-thinking style of football and coaching methods have been welcomed by the Manchester City loanee. The winger spoke to the media today where he discussed surpassing the 100-year-old unbeaten domestic record set by Willie Maley's Celtic side.

Roberts said: "It was a shame to miss the last two games but it’s nice for everyone to be involved. It’s a special occasion for the club. It’s a team game and everyone in the squad is happy to be here and to have contributed towards the achievement. I can remember the game where we played Motherwell. That stands out in my mind when I think about the unbeaten run, and it was the last game of the season. Kieran (Tierney) scored his first goal, which I set up, and then I scored as well. It’s nice to be involved throughout that whole time.  The lads were never focused on the record. We were just going into games and trying to win. The more wins we got, the more it tallied up and in the end, 63 games is some achievement. We’ll aim for more and that’s all we can do. It’s a tough league and we’ve got to keep grinding it out every week and I’m sure we’ll do that."

Roberts returned to Manchester City in the summer where he joined Pep Guardiola’s squad for pre-season training. However, he was eager to return to Glasgow so he could play first-team football and continue working under Rodgers who has been instrumental in his development. He said: "Pep and Brendan Rodgers are both huge managers in the game of football. I think they’re both brilliant at what they do. They’re masters at coaching and, for me, it’s brilliant to learn and improve every day, especially with the manager here. It’s great to learn of these coaches and develop my game.  You can see in the Premier League right now that Pep Guardiola is playing the style of football he’s played at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, where the team plays it out form the back. I think the gaffer here is similar. He tries to play football at every opportunity and encourages us in every game to play, even when we’re under pressure and he’s installed that in every player, which is important. I’m back outside running and jogging so I’ll hopefully be back soon. With the international break, I can rest and recover and I’ll be looking to get back to training with the squad when they return."