Ronny Deila has insisted that Patrick Roberts will not be heading back to Manchester City this summer – no matter how well he performs for Celtic between now and the end of the campaign.

The 19-year-old netted his first senior goals at the weekend in the 3-1 defeat of Hearts and Deila wants the winger to be an integral part of his squad for next season.

The Norwegian is preparing for this summer’s UEFA Champions League qualifiers and he believes that Roberts could be an ideal player to have going into them.

Pep Guardialo will take over the managerial role at City this summer and Deila is adamant that there will be no recall for Roberts.

“The deal we have with Manchester City is for 18 months and we did that because we wanted the player to have time to settle and get to know how we play before the summer and next season,” said Deila.

“We have always believed that he could be a big player for us.

“So there is no way he will be going back to Manchester City before the deal runs out. We made that very clear. We wanted him for the long-term loan. It was key to the move because we are trying to build a squad capable of performing and getting into the UEFA Champions League.

“He is a Celtic player for now. He is here, we are starting to see that he is a very talented boy and I think we will all see a little bit more of him now.

“He needed this time to get to know how we play and you have to remember that he is still very young. But if we can get the ball out to him, you can see what he is capable of doing.”

There is one possible clash looming, however, with Roberts part of the England squad who will perform in the UEFA under-19 European championships this summer.

Deila watched Roberts play his part last week as England ousted holders Spain from the competition and game dates and fixtures will be confirmed on April 12th.

However, the competition takes place in Germany, kicking off on 11th July and running until the final on July 24th.

Celtic will expect the second UEFA Champions League qualifier to take place on either the 12th or 13 of July this summer.

“That is something we will address nearer the time,” said Deila. “It will depend on a few things but for now our priority is simply to make sure that we win the league.

“We have Dundee tomorrow night and we want to keep on pushing ahead now and get to a point where we cannot be caught.”