When you are 21 years of age four months can seem like a lifetime.
Celtic’s 0-0 draw at Fir Park isn’t likely to feature in any end of season DVD but for Patrick Roberts his 20 minute appearance was as welcome as any in the hoops.
Back in the depths of November he felt his hamstring pull just ten minutes into a grim 1-1 draw at Fir Park.
Most hamstring injuries take around six weeks to clear but in this case the damage was deeper with the initial recuperation taking place back at Manchester City.
Towards the end of February he got an hour’s outing against Partick Thistle in the Development League but yesterday it felt real again as he was thrown on to unpick the Motherwell defence to pick up three points.
That mission wasn’t accomplished but Roberts survived unscathed and can now look forward to playing a fuller role in the run in to the season.
“I’ve felt good in training the last few weeks and I knew I’d get on at some point,” the on loan Manchester City winger told The Sun. “I was just to try to get a goal and we were trying our best but the bar got in the way!
“It’s good to be back because it has been the longest four months of my life.
“It’s been tough. It happened a few months ago and it has taken time to get fit again and now I have to regain the match sharpness I had before I got injured.
“I’ve missed some big matches. I want to have a good end to the season and finish strong.
“It was a shame about the result but it’s another point and we carry on.”
Roberts will return to Manchester City at the end of this season with a big decision to be taken about his future in the summer.
