Liverpool open Andy Robertson contract talks as Scot offers latest update | Football | Sport

Liverpool vice-captain Andy Robertson has revealed he’s in contract discussions with the club as he looks to extend his Anfield career into a tenth year. The Scottish international has found himself sharing left-back duties this campaign with £40million summer acquisition Milos Kerkez, presenting Robertson with his stiffest challenge for a starting berth since establishing himself under Jurgen Klopp in 2017.

Now in his ninth season on Merseyside, the defender has made only four Premier League starts this term, with 22 year old Kerkez becoming Arne Slot‘s preferred option. Following summer speculation linking him with Atletico Madrid, Robertson acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding his future whilst confirming talks have begun. “We’ll see what happens,” Robertson said. “We’ve had chats now which will remain private. I’ve spoken to them and we’ll see what happens. Would I like to stay? Yes, but it’s a difficult question to ask.

“I’ve got five months left and we need to see the option to stay or if there’s options to go and things like that. I’ll sit down with my family and decide. After a stressful summer, I’m just trying to enjoy being a part of it, and being a Liverpool player. I wanted to qualify for the World Cup and thankfully we’ve managed to do that. I need to see what myself and my family wants moving forward.”

Robertson has racked up 263 of his 320 Premier League outings for Liverpool during an illustrious spell on Merseyside, collecting two Premier League crowns, the Champions League and Club World Cup in 2019, a brace of Carabao Cup medals and the FA Cup four years ago.

The 31-year-old is adamant his achievements at Anfield speak for themselves, meaning he has nothing left to prove to the club’s decision-makers ahead of his potential departure as a free agent at season’s end.

Robertson, who arrived from Hull City for £8million in 2017, said: “I’ve given absolutely everything for the club for the last eight and a half years and the club have been very good to me. They have rewarded me with good contracts when I have been playing well.

“Nobody can deny what I have given to this club. I’ve given everything day in and day out and put in some performances which I think have been good and I hope others agree. I’ve won a lot of trophies and had a lot of good days here.

“So it’s not quite like what the club needs to show in the next four months. My relationship with the people higher up in the club has always been excellent since the day I came in. Signing me for £8m and then doing what I have done helps that! I remind people of that all the time!”.

“The relationship is good and it’s not quite ‘what do they need to show me and what do I need to show them’ as we’ve shown each other more than enough respect over the last eight-and-a-half years and we’ll see what comes.”

Robertson acknowledges he’s embracing his current squad rotation with Kerkez, but admitted the decreased game time this season will influence his future decisions following an illustrious spell at Anfield.

“I can focus on the last eight-and-a-half years, I think Jurgen Klopp left me out of one game and I was raging!” he joked. “So I’m a player who wants to play. I’ve played through injuries. I’ve played when I’m not 100% fit.

“I’ve played when I’ve only been 50, 40, 30 per cent fit for this club and my country. I always want to be on the grass and playing and obviously now that’s not happening, so that’s what is different.

“But I do have a different role here this season which I’m getting enjoyment out of but at the end of the day, footballers want to play, and if anyone is sat happy on the bench, then they don’t belong at any football club.

“That’s always my argument, you should always want to push to be in the team. If you’re happy to be at Liverpool, or Barnsley, wanting to sit on the bench, then I don’t think you have the right attitude.

“I’ve played well in the games I’ve played this season. Maybe I’ve not played as much as I would have liked, but it’s nothing I’ve been surprised by. Let’s see what happens.”