Celtic Loanee Patrick Roberts Compares His Style to Lionel Messi

There has been a certain amount of buzz around Patrick Roberts since he earned an £11 million move from Fulham to Manchester City last summer.

The 18-year-old winger will be spending the next 18 months playing for Celtic—and the fans at Parkhead are apparently in for some world-class entertainment. According to Mark Wilson of the Scottish Daily Mail, Roberts said that playing like his idol, Lionel Messi, "comes naturally to him":

"

It's a conscious thing from me to try to be like Messi. 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.

"

These quotes may add to the weight of expectancy on Roberts' shoulders. In addition to his relatively high transfer fee, Craig Swan of the Daily Record reported that Sir Trevor Brooking hailed Roberts as a player capable of helping England to glory at Euro 2020.

[Daily Mail]