PATRICK ROBERTS: ONE MORE SHOT?

Patrick Roberts had until fairy recently been in and out of the Celtic side, losing his place to James Forrest. But yesterday Brendan Rodgers showed his faith in Roberts by starting him against Rangers, and his play set the tone for the game, as Andy 'laughable' Halliday cleaned him out with a dreadful challenge. After only a few minutes Rangers were on the back foot and Celtic dominated the entirety of the match.

Roberts had already shown his worth recently with his goal against Ross County last week, but this was the most important game of the season and Rodgers obviously showed that he trusts Roberts and he wasn't let down, as he played very well in the 82 minutes he was on the field.

Now, here's where things get interesting; Roberts is due to miss the Scottish Cup Final as he has been selected to play for England in the under 20s World Cup, but Celtic are set to have talks with the English FA about having him available for the game. If he is available for the game, there is a good chance that he could start the game, especially if Moussa Dembele is still out injured.

The other main story with Roberts is that of course he is due to return to Manchester City at the end of the season, as his loan deal is set to run out after 18 months. It seems that he wants to give it a go at City, but as he has enjoyed his time at Celtic so much and the manager has faith in him playing in the biggest games then Celtic should at least attempt to get him back on loan for another year. The chances of him signing permanently for Celtic are practically zero, so another year would benefit all parties, as surely Roberts would benefit from playing in the Champions League (hopefully) than in the Championship, for example. I realise that the chances of him being at Celtic next season are probably quite remote but hey, we can only ask right!?