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Patrick Roberts is still only 17. Let me say that again. Patrick Roberts is only 17 years old. Yet he spent this whole break playing at the U19 Championships. It would be pretty exciting for a Fulham player of his age just to be getting the call, but he's doing more than just showing up. He's doing more than just playing. I think it's safe to say that he is dominating his competition.
In the first game versus Belarus, he was able to score a goal and provide two assists. He built on that as England dismantled Luxembourg, scoring twice and assisting on two other goals. Finally, in the toughest test he was able to score one more goal and set up two others as England defeated Belgium. And that goal was just delicious. I would have never expected a shot from this angle, much less for it to go in.
All this success is a double edged sword. It can give him the confidence to play and score with the first team. However, it's also going to have the vultures sniffing around. I know in my heart he's going to have to move to a bigger club at some point. However, I don't want to see him move on and rot on someone's bench. The list of young players that big clubs have collected and never used is very long and I'd hate to see Patrick add to that list.
For now, we should just enjoy what we have. If anyone tries to buy him, the response should be: Patrick Roberts is ours and you can't have him.