Anfield has a reputation for affording its favourite sons a moving reception when they come back, but sometimes it is enhanced because absence has made the heart grow fonder. Instead, the Carabao Cup has brought Andy Robertson a rapid return. He could play at Liverpool within four months of his farewell whereas, by comparison, his friend Jordan Henderson had to wait four years to receive the appreciation from his former club.
Robertson is nevertheless guaranteed a rousing ovation. And yet, recent as his exit is, Liverpool may already be missing him. Virtually any side, of course, would miss the Scot at his peak, the period of about five years when he was among the world’s best left-backs and which make him an automatic choice for Liverpool’s greatest Premier League side; he has a case, too, to be in an all-time Liverpool team.
