I didn’t want to drop the Liverpool star – he was too young but it was a great gesture

Andy Robertson is already well established as a Liverpool legend, winning every major honor in his seven years at the club.

An English, European and world champion with the Reds, he has made 297 appearances to date since moving to Anfield, scoring 11 goals and registering 65 assists. And while injury has limited him to 30 appearances this season, the 30-year-old is still well placed to go into next season as first choice under new head coach Arne Slot.

But as well as being a club legend, Robertson is also one of Liverpool’s best transfer bargains. The Scotland international joined the Reds for an initial fee of £8m in July 2017, with Kevin Stewart going the other way for what was believed to be a similar fee.

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp’s new project confirmed after signing three-year deal after leaving Liverpool

READ MORE: Xabi Alonso breaks silence to deny talks between Liverpool and FSG

The add-ons would take the total fee to £10m, it’s safe to say they’ve been activated over the past seven years given the left-back’s success at Anfield and Liverpool have certainly got their money’s worth.

It has been something of a rise for the Scotland captain, who famously began his senior career at Queen’s Park when he was on the verge of starting university after being released by Celtic for being too small. The Hoops’ loss certainly proved to be the Reds’ gain!

Robertson was just 23 when he joined Liverpool, having just suffered a second relegation from the Premier League with Hull City. However, he was still one of the Tigers’ star players after impressing in his three seasons with the club following his move from Scottish Premiership side Dundee United as a 20-year-old.

However, signed by Steve Bruce in a £2.85million deal, the Manchester United legend recalled that he did not actually think Robertson was ready for Premier League football and had initially been forced to- Throw him into the starting XI on the opening day of the match. season 2014/15.

“When we signed him, he arrived at Hull with his mum and dad. I thought I signed a schoolboy,” Bruce said talkSPORT. “He was so young and so young.

“In all honesty, early in his career I didn’t really want to drop him because he was young, but we had the first game of the season against QPR away in the Premier League and we didn’t have a natural left-back.

“I’m looking around and thinking, but I just signed one, I’m going to throw it away because it was so young. He never left the team. He had done so well.

“For him to follow his career now and what he’s done for Liverpool is one of the great aspects of management you enjoy seeing guys have a really great career.”

Robertson marked his Hull debut with a goal-line header as the Tigers secured a 1-0 win, while he would go on to win the club’s Player of the Month award for August 2014 as he settled in quickly and proved his manager’s early doubts. wrong.

Meanwhile, while Bruce may have had early doubts, Stan Ternent, Hull’s chief scout, certainly did not. Initially monitoring Stuart Armstrong, he quickly turned his attention to Robertson and urged the Tigers to sign him on just his second scouting mission away from Hibernian, before the game even got to at break.

“I think I left after 25 minutes,” Ternent recalled on Hull Daily Mail June 2019. “I watched Robbo before, going to Kilmarnock, and he stood out by a mile. So I went again and went to the break to call Steve Bruce. ‘Are you sure?’ he said. “Of course I’m sure.” And that was it.

“I looked at Stuart Armstrong, but Robbo was a no-brainer. He had a history with Celtic and was always a determined lad, given how he bounced back from setbacks. You could see right away that he had ability and that he could only get better.”