August 08, (THEWILL) – After the season former English Premier League champions Liverpool had that was marred by lengthy injury layoffs to first-team players, the last thing their pre-season needed was another injury. But that was exactly what they got when Andy Robertson was forced off with a nasty looking injury on Sunday against Athletic Club.
In a game where Diogo Jota put the Reds 1-0 up in the 13th minute and Alex Berenguer levelled things up after the break by finishing off Inaki Williams’ fine cross, the draw that kicked off Liverpool’s pre-season did not favour Robertson.
In slow motion replays, Robertson’s ankle turned in an unnatural position as he attempted to block a cross from Athletic wide man Alex Berenguer in the latter stages of the first half. He stayed down looking uncomfortable and required lengthy on-field medical attention.
Thankfully, Robertson finally managed to depart the field with the assistance of two Liverpool medical staff members. But, it cast a sour cloud over the entire match as the Liverpool squad were left wondering why it was happening all over again.
In post-match remarks, Reds’ boss Jurgen Klopp revealed Robertson would undergo a scan on Monday. He said: “We obviously don’t know at the moment how serious it is. It was pretty painful and that’s why Andy went off.
“You probably saw it on the TV pictures better than we did, but he got the ball, the ball on the front of his foot, [and] twisted the ankle.
“The pain has settled already, but we cannot say anything further without further assessment tomorrow. He has to get a scan and then we will know more.”
The Anfield club has seen how periods of absence impact on the prospects of the entire team and Robertson, has been immense for the Reds. As one of the best in the world in his position, he registered a combined 30 assists over the past three Premier League seasons to mark his significance.
As the first week of the new season beckons, Liverpool now have left-back issues to contend with. Kostas Tsimikas, who made just seven appearances in all competitions last time out, is the only natural in the position in the first-team squad.
Youngster Owen Beck – who replaced Robertson on Saturday – can also play there but he has very little experience to go on. It might make Klopp play some of his stronger centre-backs out of position or get some transfer business done while the window remains open.
It was not all negative for the Reds aside from Robertson’s injury. The sight of Virgil van Dijk doing his paces was encouraging for Anfield as he continued his recovery from an ACL injury while playing 72 minutes before he was replaced to a rapturous ovation from the packed Anfield stands.
Added to van Dijk return was the pleasure of seeing Naby Keita and Joel Matip, who both struggled with injuries last season, getting minutes in the tank as well.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
