Guardiola not enough to tempt Roberts away from Celtic

Patrick Roberts joined Celtic on an 18-month loan deal in January from Champions League semi-finalists Manchester City, who are due to change manager in the summer.

Regardless of what happens between now and the end of May, City will let Manuel Pellegrini leave and they’ll be replacing him with Pep Guardiola.

There had been some suggestions that, similar to what Jurgen Klopp did at Liverpool, Guardiola could recall any loan players to City to get a closer look at them.

However, the Glasgow Evening Times, Roberts intends to stick out his full spell at Celtic before returning back to Manchester.

The 19-year-old, when asked about a possible early return to City, said:

The club will do what is best for them and I have to do what is best for me. I felt 18 months is good as you get the chance to qualify for the Champions League and the chances to win leagues and cups, and that’s what you want to be doing, playing at the highest level in the world – especially as a kid.

It’s much better than sitting around. You want to be playing. I’m here for the 18 months and I’m a Celtic player, and what [Guardiola] does will be for himself and City.

Guardiola, who is currently at Bayern Munich, is regarded as one of the best managers in world football with a previous spell at Barcelona winning countless trophies.

Celtic fans will be keen to see the youngster stay at Celtic Park for the entirety of his loan deal, as he’s shown genuine glimpses of quality in recent games, including a great display against Hearts.