Celtic have been drawn alongside PSG, Bayern Munich and Anderlecht in the group stages of the 2017-18 Champions League, and it appears they have no chance whatsoever of finishing 3rd after the end of the round.
However, former Bhoys playmaker Kris Commons believes summer signing Patrick Roberts could be the main man for the Scottish Premiership giants in Europe this season.
Roberts completed another season-long loan move to Parkhead from Manchester City days ago, and the 2013-14 PFA Scotland Players’ Player of the Year who led Celtic to 5 Scottish Premiership title wants the 20-year-old wideman to further step up his game this time around.
Commons told Evening Times: “The Champions League is where now you want him to go out and be the main man. That is the level that he should be aiming to be at.
“Patrick is one of the most technically gifted players I have ever seen at that age. You have to remember that he is still young, he is still a kid, but what you want him to do now is kick on.
“You don’t want to see the same Patrick Roberts that we saw over the last 12 months because he is capable of going even further than that. Towards the end of last season, for three or four months he was virtually unplayable and that is where he will want to pick up now.
“The Champions League is a higher level of opposition and that is where he can really show what he has got. We all saw last season that Moussa Dembele was able to go out and make a real impression on the tournament and that is where Patrick should be aiming. He is a match-winner.”
Celtic kickoff their Champions League campaign in a fortnight time hosting Paris Saint-Germain, and Roberts would hope to dazzle once again having opened his scoring in the competition against his parent club last season.
The English youngster scored 9 league goals in 32 league appearances last term, and is expected to pick up his brilliant performances from where he stopped last time out after the international break.
