Arne Slot has not shut the door on the possibility of Andy Robertson staying at Liverpool beyond the end of his current contract.
The left-back has already announced his intention to leave once his deal expires this summer, and is all set to depart on a free transfer.
However, having reduced him to back-up status all season, Slot has surprisingly restored Robertson to first-choice for the past two Premier League matches.
And after seeing him score a delightful goal against Crystal Palace on Saturday, the Liverpool head coach deflected a question about Robertson making a dramatic U-turn and staying with the Reds.
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Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Premier League
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Slot fails to rule out Robertson U-turn
Only Slot will know why he has suddenly, and surprisingly, restored Robertson to his starting XI after opting for Milos Kerkez for much of the season.
Maybe it is a way of giving the 32-year-old the farewell he deserves, perhaps it is form related. But, whatever the reason, it is clear that Robertson has taken his chance.
Predictably, his form has led to some hand-wringing from Liverpool supporters that the club are making a mistake in letting him leave.
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Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Premier League
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And when asked about the possibility of a late change of heart while speaking to beIN SPORTS post-match, Slot intriguingly batted the question away.
“I don’t think that’s the moment that to talk about that,” said the Dutchman. “I think we should talk about how important his goal was and how important the win for the team was.
“The fans appreciate him a lot and he appreciates the club and the fans a lot as well. Let’s see what the future brings, but at this moment in time it should all be about his goal because he doesn’t score that many.”
Given the fact that Robertson – and Liverpool themselves – have already confirmed that the Scot is set to depart this summer, there would have been no controversy if the usually straight-talking Slot had simply confirmed that a decision has been made. Instead, he left the door open for something dramatic to occur.
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Florian Wirtz knee slides in celebration after scoring for Liverpool during their Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Anfield (Credit: Getty Images/Liverpool FC).
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Could Robertson really stay?
On the basis of his past two performances, and much of what we’ve seen all season really, Robertson can still more than do a job for Liverpool.
Kostas Tsimikas is expected to return to play back-up next season, but the Reds would surely still prefer to have Robertson instead.
The crux of the matter is whether the No. 26 will accept a reduced status in the Liverpool squad for another season or two to come.
He can certainly step in and step up when needed, as he did brilliantly against Palace, but if he does stay it would still be expected that Kerkez is the first-choice.
Perhaps there are conversations ongoing in the background that a parting of the ways does not need to happen this summer. But while Slot’s answer would suggest that something could indeed be bubbling away, it would admittedly still be a surprise to see a change of heart from here.
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