Andy Robertson’s career regularly prompts flashbacks. The most pertinent one for now relates to 16 July 2014 and a Dundee United pre-season friendly at Station Park in Forfar. Robertson, a sought-after young full-back, donned the captain’s armband for the first time in his career and scored in a 2-2 draw. “I think that was maybe them trying to keep me there,” Robertson said with a smile on Thursday. “It was one of my last games for United.”
Four years on, as a Champions League runner-up and Liverpool regular, Robertson is the captain of his country. In what Alex McLeish and typically underwhelmed Scotland fans hope signifies the start of a bright new era, Robertson will lead the team out for the first time as Belgium visit Hampden Park on Friday for a friendly. The venue is significant to Robertson’s past; upon his release by Celtic as a youth he relaunched his career there with the amateur side Queen’s Park.
“Of course it will be different to Forfar, walking out at Hampden where the journey began for me,” Robertson said. “To kind of go full circle will be nice. It will be something different to lead out your country and I will be experiencing that more often but I look forward to it, to putting on the badge with huge honour and trying to lead the country back to where we want to be.
“I have always said that I am one to look forward rather than back; what has happened in the past I can’t change now. What is forward, I can. For me, and for all my family, it is quite a big deal so we are obviously delighted that the manager put his faith in me.
“I couldn’t have pictured this when I was at Queen’s Park but I think the stage of pinching myself is behind me now. When I moved to Hull and I was playing against players in the Premier League maybe I pinched myself then. But now I am at a very big club, I have been there a year and I have settled into it.”
When news of Robertson’s promotion, at the expense of more senior players, was released on Monday messages of congratulations flowed. “It’s nice to see people are proud of me and willing to give me advice, which I appreciate,” the 24-year-old added.
“Gordon Strachan messaged me – he gave me my first cap for Scotland so that meant a lot. My manager down the road [Jürgen Klopp] texted me to say how proud he was that I had been chosen. I spoke to Kenny Dalglish briefly and he told me he was there if I ever needed any advice. But I think the most important ones were my family; to hear my mum and dad and missus so proud was a great thing for me.”
In Robertson, Scotland have that much-needed commodity of a player operating at the summit of club football and one who heavily values the international scene. “With or without the armband I would love to pull on the country’s colours,” he said. “That doesn’t change.”
McLeish will deploy Kieran Tierney on the left of a back three against Belgium, meaning Robertson can operate at wing-back. “It’s a magnificent story,” said McLeish of his new captain. “I thought he was a great candidate. There were a few candidates and for me he was the outstanding one.
“He carries himself extremely well, he talks assertively and he knows what he’s doing on the pitch. The players take to them and equally he’s very respectful of his teammates. He has been a good story for Scottish football and he’s an inspiration to all the young players when people tell them they’re not going to make it. Keep going. You’ve got to keep going.”
Scotland (5-3-1-1, possible): A McGregor; Forrest, Souttar, Mulgrew, Tierney, Robertson; McGinn, McTominay, Armstrong; C McGregor; Griffiths.
