I would do everything to keep him – Manchester City starlet Patrick Roberts is becoming a key player for Girona in La Liga
Patrick Roberts is a name the Atltico Madrid defence wont forget any time soon.The 21-year-old, on loan at Girona from Manchester City, ran the La Liga giants ragged on Sunday in a 1-1 draw at Montilivi. One of the standout players, he caused huge problems for Diego Simeones side every time he received the ball.Roberts has really found his groove in Catalonia2
Roberts has really found his groove in Catalonia
With his first touch of matchday 14 the Englishman set the tone, flicking the ball inside, first-time, to Alex Granell on the wing after intercepting possession; good positioning, quick thinking, the right decision.From there it was onwards and upwards.Picking up possession in areas of the pitch made tight by a compact Atleti before beating a man to open up space, then turning on the afterburners, his first victim was midfielder Rodri, left scrambling behind him following a drop of the shoulder early on. After one more of those the pivot decided he didnt fancy the battle anymore, and instead it was right-back Santiago Arias turn to try to contain him.Time and time again Roberts dribbled past the Colombian, beating him for pace as well as balance to leave the defender scrambling desperately to pull him back. The only thing missing was for the move to be finished, the attackers crosses not being quite connected with by the Girona forwards. That changed with only a minute left of the first half.Catching Rodri napping in a dangerous position, Roberts showed quick thinking to supply the run of Cristhian Stuani with an excellent pass, and the Uruguayan was then brought down for a penalty by Jan Oblak – the in-form striker duly converted.Stuani continued his excellent season by netting his 11th goal in 12 matches2
Stuani continued his excellent season by netting his 11th goal in 12 matches
Girona were 1-0 up and it was in large part thanks to Roberts, who stayed engaged even when a 0-0 scoreline looked certain and others already had their minds back in the changing room.Overall it was an excellent display on both an individual level and in terms of the contribution to the team, and when the youngster was taken off for Cristian Portu with just over an hour gone, Montilivi recognised their new favourites performance with a standing ovation.It was another benchmark in a period in which Roberts has gone from a bit-part player picking up 10 minutes here and there from the bench, to starting four games in a row against La Liga royalty.In most of those games he has made an impact, too.In his first league start for Girona against Valencia, Roberts produced a good dribble and shot that was parried into the path of Pere Pons for the winner. In the Catalan derby against Espanyol, he was regularly a threat and would have scored if not for veteran keeper Diego Lopez.Then came the best showing yet, against Atletico. Each game sees an improvement, as his coach pointed out when asked about the player in the post-match press conference following the Atletico draw.“He created problems for Atletis defence and every time we got the ball down his side he was capable of holding the ball then breaking lines,” Eusebio Sacristn explained. “Im very satisfied with him, hes very young but he keeps growing, taking steps forward in his development. Hes showing that hes very good and were confident hell keep improving.”

READ MORE: Cristhian Stuani: From misused at Middlesbrough to outscoring Lionel Messi in La Liga

Cadena Ser Girona journalist Ral Muxach is one person not surprised by the loan players great game, telling talkSPORT before kick-off: “If he doesnt go back to City I would do everything to keep him.“We had already seen when he was playing 10 minutes here, 15 there, that he was a player who could give Girona something different. I liked him a lot because I think hes the only player who can break opposition lines with an individual move,” he continued.Previously, Manchester City loan players have come to Montilivi and struggled to make an impact, being overlooked for a well-established starting XI that is incredibly difficult to break into. According to the Girona expert however, Roberts has exceeded expectations by speedily adapting to the club.“I think he is now fully adapted,”Muxach explained, “and with four starts in a row, if he had any doubts about the move to begin with, he wont now.“I think it will just get better. The language can be an obstacle but I dont see it that way. And he has a lot of personality: in his first game as a starter he told Borja Garcia off for not passing the ball to him when he was open. And I thought to myself wow. Hes no shrinking violet. Hes a very determined player, and when he starts scoring hell be even better.“And, despite being 21, he has his head in the right place.“We had seen videos of him playing for Celtic, out on the wing, dribbling past three or four people then finishing. But since he came here weve also seen him knowing when to run, when to hold his position. 21-year-olds are usually all about explosiveness, but weve seen him going: OK, now isnt the time to go on a run, Ill hold the ball. Now I need to keep hold of possession. Playing like a veteran.”With glowing reviews, the fans won over, and now the all-important contribution in front of goal that was missing from his performances, Roberts is on a clear upward trajectory at Girona.A player who gives them something different to everyone else in their squad, if his current form continues the Catalans will surely try to keep him beyond this season. If City dont have other ideas.

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