IF Patrick Roberts’ Twitter timeline over is to be believed, the next few days should represent boomtime for the tattoo parlours of Glasgow. A deal is a deal, as they say, and having lived up to his part of the arrangement by returning to Celtic on a further season-long loan, this 20-year-old fully expects some of his more excitable social media followers this summer to live up to their side of the bargain, if not perhaps the ones who pledged to lock their Granny up in a cage until he signed on the dotted line.

“Some fans promised to do things if I signed and I really hope they do!” said Roberts, whose unveiling drew a small but excited crowd. “There were a few tattoos and I hope they stick to it. I know it’s not a permanent move but I am back so they can’t get out of it so easily. The fans were tweeting me every day, asking me to come back. It was nice knowing that and I wanted to come and play for them. It’s a privilege for me that they want me that much.”

You would have to have been hiding in a cupboard, or perhaps a cage, to have avoided the daily despatches about Celtic’s pursuit of the 20-year-old winger who endeared himself by playing such an important role in the club’s invincible treble-winning season. Having played with simple No 27 on his back previously, his increasingly totemic importance to the club’s support is emphasised by his inheritance of the iconic No 7 shirt, which the likes of Jimmy Johnstone, Kenny Dalglish, Henrik Larsson, Paulo Di Canio and Robbie Keane etched into the club’s folklore. The likes of the jersey’s previous bearer Nadir Ciftci not so much.

Not that this 20-year-old from Kingston upon Thames, whose father was a Liverpool fan who idolised Dalglish, senses any additional pressure. “I have worn number 7 since I was playing Sunday league and then when I was at Fulham,” said Celtic’s PR7. “I didn’t ask for it but it was up for offer. Nad’s had it but he’s out on loan. I know it’s an iconic number here. It’s an honour to wear it and hopefully I can do it proud. I know it’s just a number but it’s more than that for me and these fans. I’m a bit too young for Jinky but I’ve seen lots of Henrik on DVD and the amount of goals he scored, especially in Europe. You could see the ability he had, he’s the king up here and it’s an honour to wear the same shirt that he’s worn. Kenny was my dad’s favourite player when he wore No.7 for Liverpool - so no pressure then! I’m just proud to play for this team, just like those legends.”

The Roberts deal always represented a paradigm shift for Celtic and this latest instalment clearly relied upon the player’s own willpower to drive it through, quite something when you consider the boy is just 20. Having been stung by his goal in a 1-1 draw at the Etihad during the last campaign, Pep Guardiola’s preference - a loan spell at feeder club Girona in Spain, or maybe Nice or Southampton - was understandably not to have to face him again this time around. But Roberts confirmed yesterday that he would be eligible again - in the admittedly unlikely event that the two sides meet in the knockout stages.

“Pep was good with me,” said Roberts, obviously omitting the millions of pounds lavished on the likes of Bernardo Silva and now perhaps Alexis Sanchez. “He is a massive manager in charge of a massive team. Speaking to him, he only wants me to improve as a player and get better with every game. He didn’t want City to get Celtic in the Champions League again but he knows it’s good for me to play in it. Talking to them, I said I felt it was in my best interests to come back here. Luckily enough they listened to me and took it on board. I’m sure there’s nothing to stop me. If that [Celtic versus Man City] came around, I’d be allowed to play.”

Roberts’ return hastens a new stage in his budding bromance with Kieran Tierney, to whom he broke the worst-kept secret in Scottish football history via a Facetime phone call at Mar Hall on Monday night. “He was with Scotland at Mar Hall so I facetimed him while my Dad went down to Sauchiehall Street to get me a Nandos,” said Roberts. “I was making him a little bit jealous with that but I’ll see him when he’s back from international duty.”

Celtic fans are already licking their lips to see what Roberts can bring to their team on his second coming, an arrangement with the club, which by the end of this season will have lasted longer than that of Virgil van Dijk. Since he left, his fellow on-loan Manchester City wingers Brandon Barker and Aaron Nemane have washed up at Hibs and Rangers respectively.

“We watched the Manchester City v Everton game and Aaron was sitting in front of me,” says Roberts, with a gleam in his eye. He never mentioned he was going to Rangers – and he signed the next day as well. I won’t wish him all the best because, obviously, we’ll be going out there to win against them. But this will be a good move for him; it certainly was for me.”