AMERICAN writer John Steinbeck once said 'people don't take trips, trips take people'. That's a message that rings true to Sunderland winger Patrick Roberts. As he settles back into his Newcastle residency, trains a full pre-season schedule for the first time in years and commits his future to the club, he must be feeling something unfamiliar after a turbulent early career. A chance to create a place he calls home.
Years of frustration away from the first-team at Manchester City followed by troublesome loan spells have led him to this point. A new chapter is ready to be made in the story of his career as Sunderland embark on a new season back in the Championship after last season's promotion, something Roberts played a starring role in.
“I don’t think you can have any regrets. You can maybe look back and think ‘what if’ but in terms of regrets, I don’t regret anything" said Roberts. "You just go with what is best at the time and what you feel and if it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work out."
Sitting down in an interview with The Northern Echo proved to be a good time to be reflective on the last few years as he looks to build a place to call home in the North-East. Roberts journey could have led him one of two ways in his career but there is a sense of pride at the way he's rallied to get his career going again.
The 25-year-old winger continued: “There are a lot of things in media. He’s done this and it’s not gone to plan but if you keep the same mentality and affect things, you can really reach what you had before just as quick as people perceive it as you deteriorating so I always believed in my ability. Being on loan, you don’t get to see that because you go somewhere and you don’t play. It just looks like there are other problems but if you keep a good attitude and keep true to yourself then good things come those that are patient.
“I’ve never been one to down tool or get upset if one place didn’t go well. You just keep going, get the best out of yourself. All them loans, you get to realise that. That’s why I think it’s good going on loan but you can have different experiences. Good ones and bad ones.
“You take it into your experiences and you lean on that when you go to a different club. You settle down somewhere and then you know what is right to do."
To the delight of many, Roberts put pen-to-paper on a new two-year contract on Wearside as the club managed to maintain the core group of players that led them to promotion.
It took a few weeks to rubber stamp the extension but, other than the nature of negotiations, Roberts had no other motives other than to come back. So much so, that he arrived back at the Academy of Light even when it wasn't a done deal.
“I think it was more back and forth with Sunderland" he revealed. "I knew what I wanted to do. Obviously, Sunderland look after themselves and you look after yourself as a player so it’s one of them things even though you both want the same things. It’s not so simple in this game.
“I was adamant where I wanted to be. It was just getting something sorted and getting something to agree on with both parties. That’s what we did.
“I came in on the first even though I hadn’t signed the extension, I was here anyway. I thought that was important for me. The gaffer thought it was important. All things aside, I just wanted to be back playing football.
“Waiting around and not getting a full pre-season again would not really benefit me and having to catch up. It’s different if you’re on an international break and you’ve had games before but if you’ve just been on holiday, you want to be in from the first whistle so I did that."
At the age of 25, the usual scenario would be that a player would be hitting their stride in their career. Even though it's been a turbulent journey to date, Roberts is a man who believes he still has plenty to develop and work on with Sunderland being the right place to do that.
“I’ve been around a long time and seen a lot of things. Not too long but enough to know what I need to do on and off the pitch, where I need to improve, where I need to get better" he added.
“Speaking to the manager (Alex Neil), he will help with that. It’s just about putting the finer details of that into my game. I know what I am capable of and it’s about improving that in training and when the games come, do it then, get that momentum and go into a season.
“A lot of things we need to work on. I’ll look at it with the coaches and take it from there but you want to excel in the club and enjoy being a club where you are really appreciated. You want to give back to them as much as they give to you."
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