When the Scot failed to get up in the penultimate pre-season game, Reds feared the worst but just 20 days later he was back in the XI. But now it’s all about match sharpness.
Andy Robertson gave Liverpool an early fright on the eve of the new season after it was confirmed that he had sustained ankle ligament damage, an injury that can often see players out for months at a time.
But he allayed any fears over his recovery time by returning to the running track in just over seven days before then being named on the bench against Burnley 13 days later.
Kostas Tsimikas impressed in his absence but Robertson would prove his fitness in time for the visit of Chelsea, where he was notably off the pace.
Understandable considering his late return to pre-season that was then followed up with an early injury and now with Scotland on international duty, Robertson knows it’s all about rediscovering his match sharpness, as “the more games I play the better I’ll be.”
“I watched the footage back and it didn’t look great,” Robertson said of his ankle injury.
“I probably feared the worst the next day but luckily the scan came back and while there was obviously damage, I knew I was a quick healer and I could knock time off the rehab.
“I’ve got fantastic physios at Liverpool that helped massively.
“I’m not one to accept injuries for what they are. I always want to knock time off it, to get back on the pitch and that was my focus, to get back as quickly as possible. Luckily I did that and I didn’t miss too many games.
“Of course, Scotland always drives me but the next game that was in front of me drove me to be honest.
“I knew the Norwich game was unrealistic. Before the Burnley game I felt as if I could have trained a couple of days earlier but I didn’t quite pass the tests I had to pass, so I was on the bench.
“Obviously Scotland is always something to drive you forward but that was too far away.
“I felt in my head I was pretty safe for the Scotland games but it was about trying to get back as quickly as you can.
“I came back late to pre-season so then getting the injury was disruptive. In training I’ve just been trying to get my sharpness back. I played my first game last week but the more games I play the better I’ll be.”
The Reds will certainly benefit from Robertson rediscovering his touch, one that he will hone when captaining Scotland over the next week during their three World Cup qualifiers that come in the space of six days.
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