Manchester City loanee Patrick Roberts opens up on return from injury at Middlesbrough and working under Neil Warnock

The Boro playmaker, who arrived on loan from Manchester City in January, had been sidelined with a hamstring injury before the campaign was suspended but was ready to return back in March.

Yet the three-month delay did give Roberts extra time to recover ahead of Boro’s final nine games, and the 23-year-old netted his first goal for the Teessiders at Reading on Tuesday, scoring the winner at the Madejski Stadium.

“When the pandemic came down I was meant to be playing that first game back against Swansea,” Roberts told the club’s website when discussing his return from injury.

“I was a bit gutted at the time, I didn’t know how long it was going to last, but there was a good bit of time I could rest the leg, recover and work on it at home.

“I did that and came back strong, came back fit and just flew straight into the games.”

Roberts took up the option to stay at Boro until the end of the season despite his initial loan deal expiring in June.

That’s despite the departure of Jonathan Woodgate, the manager who signed the playmaker, and arrival of Neil Warnock at the Riverside.

Yet Roberts says he’s still enjoyed working under Boro’s new boss, as well as linking-up with attacking team-mates, including Ashley Fletcher, Marcus Tavernier and Britt Assombalonga.

“It’s hard when you are down the bottom because you want to win games but also play a good style of football,” Roberts added.

“Obviously the change of manager is a bit different but there’s the same mentality of just winning and he’s pretty good like that.

“In the final third it’s just do what you want really and obviously win the game.

“Having good players around you always helps, Fletch, Britt, Tav, it’s a good group of lads and we don’t deserve to be where we are at the minute.”

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