TONY Mowbray has emphatically dismissed any prospect of Patrick Roberts leaving Sunderland ahead of next week's transfer deadline, amid speculation linking Celtic with a move for their former winger.
Roberts spent two-and-a-half seasons on loan at Celtic during his time at Manchester City and impressed in Scotland, with reports in recent weeks suggesting Brendan Rodgers - who was in charge during the winger's previous spell with the Scottish champions - said to be keen on a reunion.
But Mowbray has put an end to the speculation, saying Roberts will "100%" be staying at Sunderland. The Sunderland head coach wasn't aware of the Celtic links.
Roberts was a star man for the Black Cats last season and is again key to Mowbray's plans as the head coach looks to build on last term's success.
Asked whether he's confident Roberts will still be at Sunderland after Friday's deadline, Mowbray, who wasn't aware of the Celtic speculation, said: "Definitely 100%. He's just had a nice new haircut! He's as happy as a sandboy.
"That's news to me, there's people interested in Patrick is there? That's not a concern at all to me. Patrick is in the right place, he's rebuilding a career back to the level where I feel as if we can get him to and I hope he enjoys the freedom he's being given to attack and not to worry about losing the ball every now and then. When he eliminates people, two or three or four, and we score it's amazing to see. I don't think there's an issue with Patrick."
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The winger was yesterday ruled out for the next two games after suffering a hamstring strain against Rotherham last week, but Mowbray says it's only a minor issue and he expects the 26-year-old to be back for the first game after the international break away at QPR.
He said "Patrick is pretty short term. It's a low grade injury and it will only be two weeks but there's an international break in two weeks, so I'm pretty sure Patrick will be training and available for the first game after that international break. It looks like he'll miss two games and then he'll be back.
"That's why you have squads of players. We'll just move on and try our best to win the next two games before he comes back."
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