Nathan Patterson has already lived some intoxicating highs. Making his Rangers debut at 18. Scoring for his boyhood club in Europe. Winning 55. A record-breaking £16million move to Everton. Thriving in the Premier League. And becoming Scotland’s new right-back.
But sitting with MailSport , he articulates his whirlwind career with a maturity and humility that didn’t come from those exhilarating moments. No, the likelihood is that Patterson is the man he is today from his solitary low point.
In March 2021, along with four of his team-mates, he was hit with a six-game SFA suspension for breaking Covid rules and reprimanded by Rangers. As a teenager, it devastated him. Just a month previously, he’d been on Cloud Nine when he got his first Gers goal against Royal Antwerp at Ibrox. But suddenly people on the outside who didn’t know him, were judging his character and questioning whether he should still be at the club.
Patterson’s strength of character, as well as a close-knit family, got him through it. And as he reflects on it now, he believes it’s been the making of him.
He’s not a kid anymore. He’s a top Premier League footballer, living on his own like a consummate professional.
Patterson knows that if he’s going to realise his full potential, that’s the sacrifice you have to make. And when he eventually goes on to hopefully play in the Champions League and at major tournaments for Scotland, he will always remember the Covid incident that threatened to ruin everything.
In an exclusive interview, the Everton star said: “You make so many mistakes in life and that was my biggest.
“But I learned from it and I’m a better person because of it. It taught me to never take anything for granted. It could have gone the opposite way and been a lot worse for me. Thankfully, I was given another chance at Rangers and I felt as if I repaid the fans for their support with my performances.
“I learned massively from it. You don’t get unlimited chances in this game.
“It was a test of my mental strength. At the start, it was hard. People were judging me, but they didn’t understand what it was like to be in the limelight like that at 18.
“You learn quickly. And I was willing to do everything I could to get back out there.
“I knew what I wanted and that was to play for Rangers. I wanted to be a professional footballer and wasn’t prepared to let anything stand in my way. I heard people say, ‘He’s thrown his chance away’.
“Everyone has their own opinion but the ones that really matter are those of your family and people at the club.
“They weren’t happy with the situation but knew how sorry I was and how willing I was to make it right.
“Thankfully, I did that.
“That’s when you appreciate the people who really know you. In tough times, you need support.
“You need that small circle of friends and family. You can’t do it all by yourself and at that point I needed their help.”
Patterson had made just 27 first-team appearances for Rangers before Premier League clubs came calling. And in January this year, Everton and then gaffer Rafa Benitez agreed to pay £16m for one of the UK’s top talents.
As a Rangers supporter, it was difficult for Patterson to get his head around. But deep down he knew it was an opportunity he couldn’t turn down.
His one regret is that he didn’t get the send-off he had envisaged when it eventually came to leaving Ibrox behind. He said: “I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye properly to anyone at Rangers.
“We weren’t training around that time so I didn’t get that opportunity. I’d been going into the training ground for 12 years, since I was eight years old, so it still rankles with me.
“It probably didn’t end the way I hoped it would especially as I’d been there so long. I felt there were a few things that me and my family were a bit disappointed with in the sense of how the club handled them, but it’s done now.
“And I’ll always be a massive Rangers fan. I still watch them every week.
“My dad’s a big Rangers man too. It was his dream to see me play for the club. But he knew I might not get this chance again.
“He was even more supportive of the move than I was. He realised it was an easy decision. And at least it’s still blue shirts he’s cheering on at Everton!
“It was a shock when I heard clubs were in for me. But I suppose it was good to know top teams were willing to pay all sorts of money to buy me.
“I was sitting in the house with my family when I got the call to say the deal with Everton was done.
“It was a weird feeling. I’d been at Rangers so long, I didn’t know any different. But I love a challenge.
“Of course, it was a wrench to leave. When I left the training ground for the last time it was strange to think I might not be back again. When I drove down to Merseyside, I thought, ‘A couple of days ago I was in my house as a Rangers player and now I’m signing for Everton’.
“It was surreal. But I’ve loved it so far.
“I don’t think anyone in the Rangers team would have turned down the chance to play in the Premier League.
“You have to think about what’s best for your career. I wanted playing time and wasn’t getting that at Rangers. I was promised it at Everton and I’ve kicked on here.”
He’s now a regular at Goodison under boss Frank Lampard. But it was another former England superstar – and Liverpool legend – Steven Gerrard who set Patterson on his way. After handing him an Ibrox debut, that goal against Antwerp made everyone in Europe aware of his ability and changed his life forever.
He said: “Gerrard was a massive influence. He and his coaching staff were great with me. They didn’t just throw me in, they worked with me.
“They spoke to me after training about what I had to improve on. And they always made me feel as if I was a good player who belonged there.
“That was the main thing. They made me part of their plans and knowing that was a great feeling at such a young age.
“I grew up watching Gerrard. He won everything and it was great to know a guy like that believed I was a good player.
“He gave me my opportunity and I won’t forget that. My life probably did change with that Antwerp goal.
“It was in the Europa League so people saw it and I got more recognition. Suddenly people are recognising you in the street.
“You then have to keep your feet on the ground and my family helped with that. That’s enabled me to get to where I am today.”
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