Fulham have confirmed that England U17 winger Patrick Roberts has signed a professional contract with the club until 2016.
Roberts, who turned 17 on Wednesday, has dazzled for the Cottagers U18s side as they won the league last season, and he has continued his progress this season for both club and country.
In October he scored twice for the Young Lions as they qualified for the Elite Round of qualifying for the European Championship and only last week he hit a hat-trick in Fulham’s FA Youth Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
Patrick Roberts netted against Gibraltar in September
Roberts tweeted news of the deal on Thursday afternoon from his personal account, saying: "Happy to have signed my first professional contract with Fulham."
Academy Director at Fulham Huw Jennings said: “Pat has made excellent progress and we're pleased with the performances he has been showing.
"He knows that he has to continue to work hard, but if he shows the same application, desire and determination there's no reason why he can't be very successful.”
Happy to have signed my first professional contract with Fulham 😬 #ffc pic.twitter.com/D8QpDGjkvj
— Patrick Roberts (@patrick7roberts) February 6, 2014
Speaking to the club’s official website, Jennings added: "He's the type of player that is exciting to watch, and he's had a very good 12 months for both Fulham and England.
"We hope that he will be one of the standard-bearers for our Academy for many years to come."
Watch Robert’s hat-trick against Spurs in the video player above.
