Andy Robertson is in a hurry to protect left-back rival Milos Kerquez, following a ferocious afternoon of the £40 million man at Burnley. Kerquez confessed that Liverpool manager Arne Slot had withdrawn his summer signature from Bournemouth to avoid red cards after being carried out before Sunday’s interval and was already warned for the simulation later.
Robertson, who surrendered the regular starting berth to Kerquez in the campaign, ultimately led Liverpool to a 1-0 victory for the 20-year-old, establishing a three-point advantage at the Premier League summit. The newly appointed Reds vice captain promised to challenge the youngsters to his position while also leading Kerquez in the early struggles. “He was great for Bournemouth last season,” Robertson said.
“He’s just young, all new signatures are young, but there’s incredible potential, they’re the club’s future and you forget to help them as much as you can, but you want to put pressure on them.
“He will be the left-back in the future for Liverpool’s starting, and it’s up to me to help him push and improve this season. He has a great future ahead of him.
“I will help him as much as I can, but I want to play the game and be the left-back where I started.
Robertson continued: “I got two 90 minutes and got that match fitness and two really good results for Scotland, so the international break was good for me, so I have a lot of confidence from that.
“You have to be ready to be there (at Burnley) anytime. It’s probably a little earlier than you’d expect, but when booked with a game like this, it’s always difficult.”
Robertson has taken months to find his foot at Anfield after arriving from Hull City eight years ago and understands the challenges he is currently facing with Kerquez.
He continued: “It’s a massive jump. I came from Hull, he came from Bournemouth, and it’s probably very similar. Liverpool jerseys have more eyes than these two clubs.
“He’s transitioning well, he has a lot of information and a lot of different ways to play, and he just needs to keep going and be confident.
“We’ll try to help him and others throughout the season. There’s no doubt that he’ll be a great left-back for Liverpool, which is the main thing.”
Robertson will drive the first start of the campaign when Atletico Madrid, who has expressed interest in securing the 31-year-old’s signature during his recent transfer window, arrives at the Champions League opener on Wednesday evening. When asked about the possibility of a move on Diego Simeone’s side, Robertson admitted:
“They’re really good teams, they have really good players and really good managers, but so are us. If they can play at a level that they can in front of the crowd at Anfield, they can cause team problems.
