Nathan Patterson on Rangers Covid low point and reveals what Steven Gerrard said to him afterwards

Nathan Patterson has revealed what Steven Gerrard said to him after he breached Covid rules and put his Rangers career at risk.

Just a few months on, the teenage full back is part of the Scotland squad preparing for Monday’s Euro 2020 opener against the Czech Republic at Hampden.

It’s been a rapid rise for Patterson, who played his way into the squad despite being banned for several weeks after controversially attending a flat party during lockdown with some of his Ibrox teammates.

That looked to have put paid to any hopes of going to the Euros, but Steve Clarke proved to be as forgiving as Steven Gerrard and named the 19-year-old in his pool of 26 for this summer.

Patterson readily admits he made a mistake and was in the wrong, but has hailed the support he got from his family and his club for allowing him to learn from it and get back on track.

He admitted: “Everyone makes mistakes and that was a clear mistake on my behalf.

“Obviously I have done well to get to where I am just now. What you do on the pitch shows who you are. I have worked hard on and off the pitch and it’s shown by where I am today.

“I’m at a young age, especially in this era when you have a lot of social media and pressure on you. But I had good support especially from Rangers and my family. I have good coaching staff who have stuck behind me and it has stood me in good stead.”

The timing of Patterson’s faux-pas couldn’t have been worse.Skipper James Tavernier got injured soon after which left Rangers without a recognised right back for their crunch Europa League clash with Royal Antwerp.

Had Patterson not transgressed, he would have slotted in for the captain, but instead had to watch at home with his parents as his teammates set about establishing a first leg lead in Belgium.

“It was not my best moment,” he said.

“I was sitting with my mum and dad. It is probably the most down I have been in my life.

“There wasn’t really much said. They had already said what had to be said. That was it really.

“I just got my head down and we all worked through it together. That’s why we are a family – there’s no point in keeping going on about the bad stuff when you can look forward to the good stuff and that’s where I am today.

“I thought to myself: ‘I will get another opportunity. It is not the end of my career. I will get another opportunity and I will work hard and when I get there, I will take my opportunity when it comes,’.

“I have done that and I’ve showed what I can do on the pitch.”

He wasted no time in doing that, coming off the bench in the second leg to find the net: “Aye, 16 seconds. Not too bad!”

Crucially though, it was the understanding of Gerrard that’s enabled Patterson to flourish when another manager could have easily stopped his career in its tracks before it had really started.

He added: “Yes, obviously when it all came out it wasn’t a great time and I was obviously worried for myself and for everyone else.

“But the gaffer was great. He just told me straight and said to me: ‘Look, everyone makes mistakes,’. He said he’s made mistakes before in his own life but that it’s all about how you bounce back. You just have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“I totally agree with him. Obviously I had to go out there and make it up to the fans and I felt as if I did that.

“Look, I’m young. I’m not making that an excuse or a reason for why I did it. I shouldn’t have done it. But I’m moving on now and I’m going to learn from it. I won’t make any more mistakes like that again in my career.

“In a way I’m almost glad that it all happened so early as I can put it behind me and focus on the football now.”