As Southampton join the race to sign Sturm Graz ace Max Johnston, who better than Liverpool icon Andy Robertson to pass judgement on his starry-eyed Scottish protege?
Robertson, formerly of Queen’s Park and Dundee United, has scaled heights few would have dared to imagine when honing his considerable talents north of Hadrian’s Wall.
A two-time Premier League and one-time Champions League winner, if there is a trophy in club football the long-serving Liverpool left-back has not got his mitts upon, then it’s probably not worth winning in the first place.
Max Johnston, ten years Robertson’s junior, finds himself at the other end of his own footballing journey.
Southampton are reportedly looking to bring the £3 million-rated, Middlesbrough-born Johnston back to the United Kingdom after two highly successful seasons in Austrian football, per Sky Sports.
And who better than Robertson – who went from relegation with Hull City to conquering Europe under Jurgen Klopp – to advise his fellow Scot on where to go from here?
Photo by Alex Nicodim/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Alex Nicodim/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Andy Robertson hails Max Johnston as Southampton target Sturm Graz defender
Southampton are set to lose Kyle Walker-Peters at the beginning of July. Walker-Peters is due to depart alongside Adam Lallana and co.
Amid plenty of interest from elsewhere – some have suggested Russell Martin could drive a reunion at Rangers following his appointment at the Glasgow giants – Johnston appears to have been identified as a youthful and affordable replacement.
Now, with his 22nd birthday still six months away, Johnston is far from the finished article.
But Robertson has already seen enough during their brief time together with the Scotland national team to suggest that the Motherwell academy graduate has already come on leaps and bounds while winning back-to-back Austrian Bundesliga titles with Sturm Graz.
“I’ve seen [the young players] in training this week and they’ve been excellent. Max Johnston has come on so much since his first camp here. Now, he looks a hell of a lot more composed,” Robertson said of the 2023 Scottish Premiership Young Player of the Year.
“He’s filled out a bit. Defensively, he looks excellent in training. Obviously, games are different to training. But that’s what we can base it off just now.”
Johnston has ‘improved’ while winning two Austrian Bundesliga titles
A tally of six assists for Sturm Graz last season, in conjunction with his eye-catching defensive output, means Max Johnston would give new Southampton boss Will Still plenty to work with at both ends of the park.
Southampton hired former Lens boss Still in May, amid rival links with Hull City.
Sky Sports, meanwhile, explain that the Saints have watched Johnston ‘very closely’ in recent months. There is interest from German duo Augsburg and Hamburg.
Atalanta are in the mix as well, La Dea seemingly inspired by the remarkable success of other Scottish talent at the pinnacle of the Italian game. See Napoli’s Scudetto winning duo Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour, plus Bologna’s Coppa Italia-securing skipper Lewis Ferguson.
“It was really enjoyable for me winning the league over in Austria. It was a good season,” beams Johnston, another Scot with a major trophy under his belt in 2024/25. “I feel like I’ve improved, definitely by getting the amount of minutes that I’ve managed to get over the last year or so.
“As a footballer you need to play to continue to learn, so I feel as though I’ve been learning and improving every week.
“The Austrian league is a great league for young players. They really try and push the younger generation and give you an opportunity to play. I’ve really enjoyed the experience on and off the pitch.”