Ex-Celtic and Manchester City winger Patrick Roberts awaits contract decision from Sunderland after winning promotion at Wembley

The 25-year-old joined the Black Cats in January from Manchester City and signed a short-term contract until the end of the season.

Sunderland have an option to extend Roberts’ deal at the Stadium of Light, with the club set to hold contract talks this week.

Roberts won multiple trophies and league titles during a two-and-a-half-year loan spell at Celtic, but says his time spell with the Black Cats has been special.

“It’s up there yeah, it’s definitely up there,” said the winger.

“I’ve won a few trophies up North but to get a club like Sunderland, after years of trying to do it, back in the direction that everyone wants to be in is massive.

“It’s been a few times they’ve been here and I’m lucky I’m here to see them get over the line.”

“I’ve only been here six months but you can obviously see when the manager came and all the players that have come in, it means a lot.

“It was the aim at the start of the season to get promoted, we had a rocky period and we steadied ourselves, got the win and can have a good summer.”

When asked about his future, Roberts, while still caught up in the emotion of winning at Wembley, gave an honest answer.

“No idea to be honest,” he replied. “I’ll think about that in the next few weeks.

“I’m just going to enjoy tonight and see where it goes from there.”

Still, the winger says Sunderland shouldn’t simply be aiming to survive in the Championship next season.

“With the stature of the club you want to obviously improve every year, and part of the journey was to get out of this league,” he added.

“The next thing is to build on that and go from there and get back to the Premier League.

“That will be the aim I’m sure for all the people involved with Sunderland. If I’m here, that will obviously be my aim as well.”

Roberts was also full of praise for head coach Alex Neil, even though the attacker wasn’t playing when the Scot first arrived at Sunderland in February.

Following a loan spell at French side Troyes, where he made just two competitive appearances, Roberts was short of game time following his move to the North East, yet he eventually became a key player.

Asked how important it will be for Sunderland to keep Neil next season, Roberts replied: “Absolutely massive, it’s huge. He’s come in and been the calmest man around the place.

“He has an idea tactically what to do and he’s been fantastic. With players like me I’ve never really come across him before but he’s trusted in me, told me to work hard and kept me on for these games.

“He put me in so I’m glad he came in and he’s brought me on a lot. He’s been great.”