John Collins has insisted that Patrick Roberts is close to making his debut for Celtic’s first team, although the assistant boss refused to divulge whether the new signing will feature against Inverness CT tomorrow.
The winger, who joined the Hoops from Manchester City on an 18-month loan deal during the winter transfer window, is yet to make his first team debut for the Scottish champions.
Roberts however has already featured for Celtic’s development squad, with the 19-year-old even finding the back of the net for the young Bhoys.
And Collins, who explained that he has been impressed with the Englishman’s efforts in training and in development squad matches, stated that the youngster is close to making his mark in the first team.
But the 48-year-old did not reveal if Roberts is going to make his Celtic debut against Inverness at the weekend.
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“He is closer this week than he was last week”, Collins said at a pre-match press conference, when asked how close Roberts was to making an impact in the first team.
“He has another week of training under his belt. Everybody knows we had to get his fitness up. He had been injured before he came.
“He trained very well and he played terrifically well for the development squad, scored a couple of goals, made one.
“So he’s closer this week than he was last week so it’s good news.
“Should we see him against Inverness? Time will tell.”
Roberts, whose present deal with Manchester City runs until 2020, joined the club from Fulham in the summer.
