Andy Robertson‘s character can still teach the club a lesson or two as he departs, raising the question of whether he’s being let go too early.
Robertson leaves Liverpool this summer having created a legacy as one of the best left-backs in the club’s history. Arguably the best.
He was part of the team that lifted, at some point in their run, ever major title available, including Premier Leagues, the Champions League, a domestic cup double in 2022, and the first Club World Cup in Liverpool history.
Just as cases can be made for numerous individual players in this team to be the greatest Liverpool have seen in their respective positions, a case can be made for this being the best-ever Liverpool team.
Robertson was a key part of that. One of several captains within the squad, and someone who represented what the club stands for on and off the pitch.
Started20
As Sub16
Unused21
Goals3
Assists2
Total Apps36
Andy Robertson was the epitome of Jurgen Klopp’s ‘Mentality Monsters’
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, September 15, 2021: Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp and Andrew Robertson after the UEFA Champions League Group B Matchday 1 game between Liverpool FC and AC Milan at Anfield. (Pic by Paul Currie/Propaganda)
Robertson wasn’t the most hyped of Dundee United’s collection of promising young players ahead of the 2013/14 season, but there were early signs that he might well go on to be the most successful.
There was initially more buzz around the likes of centre-back John Souttar, and especially so around the precocious Ryan Gauld, who was already being dubbed the Scottish Messi.
But by the end of the season, it was the teenage left-back who was named the PFA Young Player of the Year, as Dundee United finished fourth in the table, with Robertson their outstanding player.
Even back then, it was the mentality to go with a good dose of talent that drove Robertson on and eventually saw him forge a career at the very top level in one of the best teams of all time.
Scotland's Andrew Robertson - Martin Rickett/PA Archive/PA Images
“Andy came on there, and the first time he picked it up, he drove about 30 yards,” Scotland coach Gordon Strachan said after handing Robertson his national team debut against Poland in March 2014, just a week or so before his 20th birthday.
“I thought, that’s fantastic,” added Strachan. “Absolutely no grey area, ‘I’m going to do what I do.’ I loved seeing that first touch.”
Robertson continued very much in that vein. A first touch that meant he could play at the top level, and a drive and determination within matches that propelled him there.
An ‘I’m going to do what I do’ approach that led to one of his most memorable moments in a Liverpool shirt, being an act of pressing against Manchester City in 2018.
The kind of mentality that set him apart in those early years saw him go on to become the captain of his national team and one of numerous players who played a captain’s role in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team.
“Most players get to the top because they are so driven,” Robertson said in 2019. “The Liverpool team that I’m a part of has no shortage of players like that.”
Another standard-setter leaves Liverpool
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, May 24, 2026: Liverpool's Andy Robertson touches the badge as he waves to the Anfield crowd after the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brentford FC at Anfield. The game ended 1-1. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
There was plenty of quality to go with that drive, which meant at one point in his Liverpool career, the Scotsman had become the best in the world in the left-back position.
He reached double figures for assists in four of his first six seasons at the club, and was regularly in competition with fellow full-back on the opposite side, Trent Alexander-Arnold, at the top of the assists charts.
Robertson’s departure comes at a time of uncertainty.
The hope would have been that there were signs that the transition from Klopp to the next iteration of Liverpool was continuing in a positive fashion, but it’s now looking more like a case of rebuilding as the next stars are yet to emerge.
It’s a testament to Robertson’s enduring quality that he still managed over 2,000 minutes for Liverpool in his final season, despite having seen another player come in to replace him.
As could be said of pretty much all of the Liverpool squad this season, he has not been at his best, but despite that, he has still been one of the better performers and always felt like one of the more reliable options in what turned out to be a very unreliable team.
His words following the death of Diogo Jota resonated with people throughout the Liverpool fanbase and beyond, once again showing his leadership, character and capacity to set the tone at the club.
For that reason, as well as many others, it was important that he remained for the whole season, even when there were rumours linking him to a move to Tottenham in January.
BURNLEY, ENGLAND - Sunday, September 14, 2025: Liverpool's Milos Kerkez is replaced by substitute Andy Robertson during the FA Premier League match between Burnley FC and Liverpool FC at Turf Moor. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Milos Kerkez has spoken about how much he has learned from Robertson this season, which likely led to the Hungarian’s own improvement in the middle of the campaign, having taken some time to settle.
It’s easy to forget that Robertson himself didn’t go into the team straight away at Liverpool, but once he had the opportunity to do so on a regular basis at the end of 2017, he kept that place up to this most recent campaign.
Robertson’s three goals in his final season match his highest tally from previous seasons in English football, though never quite matching the five he scored for Dundee in 2013/14.
Liverpool can continue to learn from Andy Robertson
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, April 19, 2026: Liverpool's Andy Robertson is pushed in front of the travelling supporters to celebrate by team-mates Ibrahima Konaté (L) and Curtis Jones (R) after the FA Premier League match between Everton FC and Liverpool FC, the 248th Merseyside Derby, at Bramley-Moore Dock. Liverpool won 2-1. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
There was a further show of class from the 32-year-old when he paid tribute to Pep Guardiola and Seamus Coleman in one interview after his final game.
The Liverpool of 2026/27 and beyond can continue to learn from Robertson and what he brought to the team.
As they look to build the next great side, the recruitment department would do well to remember that it was mentality as much as talent that made Robertson the player he was, and helped Liverpool become such a successful force during his nine seasons at the club.
Given Liverpool currently lack many of the things Robertson brought, maybe they should have done more to make the transition smoother and more successful, which might have ensured one of those team leaders stuck around a little longer to pass on that winning mentality to the next group.
His next club, which is expected to be Tottenham, will gain a valuable team member who will retain the support of the Liverpool fans should, and when, he return to face them.
Best moment: This season, it was the goal and assist in the FA Cup win at Wolves, it would have been another early exit without him. In his career, the press that set the tone.
Worst moment: In recent memory, Fulham‘s visit that saw him culpable for an early goal before he was shown a red card.
Will be remembered for: Representing Liverpool just as a supporter would, on and off the pitch; the best left-back in club history.