Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes Patrick Roberts’ decision to snub England to play in the Scottish Cup final shows how much he enjoys playing for the Bhoys.
The winger, on loan from Manchester City, was at the centre of a club versus country debate recently as he was named in the England Under-20 squad for this summer’s World Cup.
He was key to England’s qualification for the tournament, which starts on 20th May, but his participation would have meant that he would have missed the Scottish Cup final.
And the winger chose Celtic in this club versus country tug of war and opted out of the World Cup squad to get the ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ to play in the cup final against Aberdeen.
Rodgers admits that it was hard decision to take for Roberts as most players would want to play in a World Cup for his national team, but he feels the winger’s choice makes it apparent how much he enjoys being part of the Celtic squad.
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Asked about his reaction to Roberts choosing Celtic over England, the Northern Irishman said after the Bhoys' win over St Johnstone: "It's great for us.
“It was a difficult one for the player as he loves it here and not many players get to go to a World Cup.
"But it tells you everything about his enjoyment here and how we wants to be part of hopefully creating some history here."
Roberts scored twice in Celtic’s 4-1 win over St. Johnstone and while he is slated to return to Manchester City in the summer, Rodgers has said that he is open to signing him on a permanent deal.
