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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Robbie Copeland

Nathan Patterson takes Everton centre stage as he reveals heartwarming reason he picked No.3

Nathan Patterson has taken centre stage at Everton as he was the man in the hot seat on Thursday for a fan Q&A session on Twitter.

The former Rangers defender is away with the Merseysiders for a pre-season tour of the USA as he looks to force his way into Frank Lampard's plans for the season ahead. He had a fractured first six months at Goodison Park, between a change of manager and injuries taking their toll, but having returned to action with Scotland during the close-season, he's fighting fit and hoping to start against Arsenal on Sunday.

For now though he's keeping fans entertained by answering their questions on Twitter and the burning question on one supporter's mind was why Patterson, a right-back, picked the No.3 jersey traditionally reserved for left-backs. He revealed there were two reasons behind it - one heartwarming, and the other as straightforward as it gets.

"It's my mum's birthday," he said. "And it was also the lowest number I could get!"

The 20-year-old also had some kind words for Frank Lampard when asked what it's been like working under the former England midfielder. He said: "It's brilliant working with someone who's been at the top level for a long time and won a lot of trophies, won the Premier League and the Champions League. You're going to learn from working with a top coach like the gaffer so I really enjoy working under him."

And there were some kind words for Steve Clarke too as Patterson paid tribute to his international manager for giving him his chance at such a young age. He went on: "My debut was a great moment for me in my career and my family. I'm really looking forward to pushing on with Scotland.

"I have a good relationship with Steve Clarke, he's pushed me on and made me involved very early. I'm very thankful for that, he's a great guy and a top coach."

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