I HAD TO TONE IT DOWN IN THE GYM
Paddy’s ready to outmuscle Gers after getting too ripped
Patrick Roberts wants to muscle Rangers out of the Scottish Cup after revealing he had to calm down his gym sessions because he was getting too bulky.
The Celtic star was in danger of looking more Arnold Schwarzenegger than Bastian Schweinsteiger as he built up his physique while recovering from a hamstring injury.
Roberts realised he was overcompensating in the gym for his inability to run during his threemonth rehab and that it could hamper his pace and agility.
So he cut back the power lifting and focused on the areas he really needed to hone.
Roberts said: “For the first few weeks of rehab I was doing no cardio exercise like running. I was purely in the gym.
“I was battering it with the weights but then I said to the physio team that I didn’t want to be so big. So I slowed it down after those first few weeks.
“Don’t get me wrong, it was good for the self esteem – my physique looked alright! But I realised I couldn’t run so had to slow it down.”
The iron in the gym wasn’t the only weight Roberts carried through a frustrating injury comeback that wiped out the best part of the season and curtailed his involvement in the Champions League campaign. The mental burden of disappointment is a heavy weight for any player to carry on the long road back from injury.
Roberts knew the best way to cope would be to surround himself with the support of his mates.
That’s why when his parent club Manchester City invited him to complete his recovery under the watchful eye of their medical team, he opted instead to stay with Celtic.
The fa m i l ia r i t y of thei r Lennoxtown HQ, where he has spent most of the last two years surrounded by players he counts as trusted team-mates and good friends, was the best place for him to see him through the difficult days.
He said: “I was only in Manchester for a week then decided to do my rehab up here. I felt it was easier to do all my
rehab in one place – both for me and for the physios to keep track of my progress.
“I also have my place up here and don’t have a home in Manchester. And with all the boys around me it was better to do it up here.
“That way they could help me and I could keep them motivated. I enjoyed going to watch the games. It’s a team sport so you want to be with the lads as much as you can.”
Roberts couldn’t complete his comeback without a green light from City, who sent him to Barcelona for final medical approval that he is over his recurring hamstring issue.
He said: “Obviously I’m still City’s player so they control what happens. I went to Barcelona to see their medical staff and had to get a final check-up before I was allowed to play. Celtic did all they could to get me back fit but it was still City’s final say when I was ready to play.
“That wasn’t frustrating – it’s important to get that all- clear to reassure me I was absolutely ready for coming back.
“I’ve done the hamstring a few times so I needed to be right this time when I came back.
“I wanted the best possible help to be 100 per cent fit again and now I’m ready to crack on.”
His words could ring ominously for Rangers as Roberts joins a list of key players now very much back in the frame after injury lay- offs.
Leigh Griffiths, Stuart Armstrong and Keiran Tierney are all back in business after the early part of 2018 was disrupted by significant lay-offs. And Roberts is certainly eager to make up for lost time.
He said: “It has been a long time coming – but I’m raring to go now.
“I’ve had a few games off the bench but it was important to get a start last weekend (in the 2-1 win against Hamilton) so I can kick on from there.
“I managed 85 minutes, the first time I’d done over half a game since October. So now I feel ready for the run-in to the end of the season.”
It’s an exciting time to be back in the mix with the Hoops just one win away from securing the league title and so close to completing historic back- to- back Trebles – if they can get past Rangers today then Motherwell in the final. Roberts added: “Last season is a lot to live up to but it was a freak season with the Invincibles. “It was one of the best seasons I’ll ever have and most of the boys will have.
“It would be something to go back- to- back winning the Treble but there’s a long way to go and tough games ahead. It will be exciting.
“You never get tired of winning. You have to just keep playing your game, create chances and keep the clean sheets.
“As long as we do that, we’ll keep winning. It’s how we keep mentally strong and focused and have the will-to-win, no matter who we play.”
It has been a long time coming but I’m raring to go now .. it’s an exciting time for us