Liverpool vice-captain Andy Robertson is not ready to sit on the sidelines and relinquish his position as first-choice left-back without a fight after admitting there was a chance he could have left for Atletico Madrid in the summer.
The 31-year-old has been displaced in the starting line-up this season by £40m signing Milos Kerkez, 10 years his junior.
He was briefly linked with a move to Atletico, coincidentally Liverpool's first Champions League opponents on Wednesday, but opted to remain at Anfield for the final year of his contract despite knowing he was most likely going to be a back-up.
Robertson came off the bench 38 minutes into the 1-0 win at Burnley which extended Liverpool's 100 percent record to four matches as head coach Arne Slot was concerned Kerkez, already on a booking, was in danger of being sent off in what has been a scratchy start at his new club.
The Scotland captain, who played in the recent draw with Denmark and win over Belarus, brought an immediate improvement down the left side to provide a reminder he is far from a spent force.
Asked whether there was a chance he could have been lining up against the Reds for the Spanish visitors on Wednesday, Robertson said: "Maybe at one point.
"I do want to play games and be the starting left-back and I have got to keep pushing to try to produce the levels I know I can do.
"The international break was good for me as I was able to get two 90 minutes, get that match fitness and two really good results for Scotland and I took a lot of confidence from that.
"He (Kerkez) is only young and I think we forget that. You try to help them as much as you can but you want to put pressure on them and you want to play games.
"He will be the starting left-back for Liverpool in the future and it's up to me to push him this season and help him improve.
"He just needs to keep working hard and not let today affect him, which it won't as he's a confident lad, and I'll help him as much as I can."
Kerkez shares similarities with Robertson in that they both made a step up from non-elite clubs to join Liverpool and the Scot, who himself made just three appearances before December in his first season as then manager Jurgen Klopp integrated him slowly, admits the change can be daunting.
"It's a massive jump. I came from Hull, he's come from Bournemouth and it's probably quite similar," he added.
"There are a lot more eyes on you in a Liverpool jersey than at those two clubs. He (Kerkez) has transitioned well.
"There's a lot of information and a lot of different ways of playing and he just needs to keep going and keep his confidence.
"I have no doubt in the future he will be a fantastic left-back for Liverpool and that's the main thing."
PA
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