Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock says he told Patrick Roberts he will do well at Derby County following the player’s deadline day move to Pride Park, Hartlepool Mail report.
Roberts spent the first half of the Championship campaign at Boro.
But after struggling to make an impact at the Riverside Stadium, Manchester City cancelled his loan at Boro and subsequently sent him to Derby on deadline day this past week.
Roberts went on to make his debut in Derby’s 3-0 midweek defeat at Rotherham United.
Speaking to reporters, Warnock tips Roberts to be a success at Pride Park and shares his words of encouragement with the player ahead of his move to the Rams.
“I said to Patrick he’ll do well at Derby because they play a different game. They’ll get it into his feet and he can run at people. With us, as I said to him, I signed him in good faith, I thought when I signed him he could have a big part to play. But he couldn’t play wide in our system because he couldn’t track full-backs and when I played him in the hole, if we played against a good three in there which most teams seem to have, we were outnumbered. It just didn’t seem to work out for him whereas I think he’ll do well at Derby, the way they play he’ll have more opportunities,” Warnock explained.
Roberts will provide competition at Derby with Kamil Jozwiak, Martyn Waghorn, Jason Knight and Tom Lawrence all featuring in the wide positions this season.
The former Celtic man is quick, direct and likes to beat a player.
Derby often try to dominate the ball and play on the front foot. His style of play could be ideal at Pride Park with the Rams lacking in both creativity and goals this season.
Derby are the lowest scorers in the Championship this season with just 17 goals from 27 games, leaving Wayne Rooney’s side very much down the bottom and in the scrap for survival.
The latest defeat at Rotherham gives the Millers the chance to leapfrog Derby, while strugglers Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday are also in action this weekend.
Also see: Championship boss says Derby wanted his player, would let him join Rams in the summer
Also see: ‘Stressful’: Millwall ace recalls failed deadline day move to Derby, blames manager