Arne Slot comments about ex-Liverpool duo subtly highlight the importance of Andy Robertson
In praising former Liverpool duo Jordan Henderson and James Milner, Arne Slot has subtly highlighted the importance of Andy Robertson to his current squad.
The Scottish left-back is more than halfway through his ninth season at Anfield, with Joe Gomez and Mo Salah his only two current teammates who were already at the club when he joined, but it’s plausible that he could be into his final few months as a Reds player.
His contract expires in June and Tottenham Hotspur had been interested in signing him during the January transfer window, but were shot down by the LFC hierarchy.
Slot praises Henderson and Milner
In the latest episode of The Reds Roundtable, Slot touched upon the group of players that Liverpool had in the years before he took charge in June 2024, highlighting the legendary forward line from our first Premier League triumph along with two integral midfield presences.
The Dutchman said: “If I think about Liverpool, their most successful period in the last five to 10 years, then I think about Bobby Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, because they’ve scored goal after goal after goal.
“But if I’m in the building and I’m talking about that period of time, I hear two other names constantly, and that’s James Milner and Jordan Henderson. That’s also things you’re looking at that you have the right mentality, people who know what the culture is.”
Robertson is cut from the same cloth as Henderson and Milner
The captain and vice-captain for the bulk of the Jurgen Klopp era were integral in driving standards on a daily basis at Liverpool, something that Jason McAteer referenced after one Reds defeat earlier this season when he noticed how nobody on the pitch was admonishing teammates for cheaply giving away possession.
Henderson and Milner were famed for dishing out a few rollickings in such instances, with the latter memorably outperforming younger teammates in the dreaded pre-season lactate test on an annual basis.
Robertson is cut from the same cloth, with his insatiable drive for perfection evidenced by an angry reaction to losing in a training ground drill. As one of the most senior players in the current squad, his leadership qualities behind the scenes day in day out are crucial to the group dynamic.
It’d be erroneous to suggest that the long-serving Scot is now nothing more than a vocal presence in the dressing room, and Slot spoke recently about the 31-year-old’s importance both on and off the pitch.
Time is swiftly running out for Liverpool to tie him down to a new contract, should he wish to stay, although he certainly couldn’t be begrudged an opportunity for a fresh challenge elsewhere if he desire were to move on in the summer.
From an LFC perspective, let’s hope that Robertson decides to give us even a couple more years, as he’d provide the elite mentality and culture-setting standards in which Henderson and Milner specialised during the Klopp era.
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