Liverpool have suffered a concerning injury blow to Andy Robertson after he sustained a shoulder injury during Scotland’s UEFA Euro Qualifier against Spain last night.
The international break has only just started but there has already been a massive blow for Jurgen Klopp, as his trusted and influential left-back is set to return to Merseyside for further assessment on what looked to be an incredibly painful shoulder injury.
The Scotland captain had to leave the pitch before half-time with a pained expression on his face and his arm tucked into his shirt after a clash with Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon.
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke spoke to the media following their 2-0 defeat in Seville and confirmed that Robertson would return to Liverpool to start his recovery and hinted that he is unlikely to return to the national side for their friendly against France next week:
“We’ll have a look and he’ll go back to his club now,”
“It always seems to happen when you lose one player in a position. We lose Kieran [Tierney] then Andy picks up a shoulder injury.”
“We’ll see how it is and how it settles down. Hopefully he’s good for his club as soon as possible and ready to help us in November.”
The Athletic’s James Pearce followed up Clarke’s comments by revealing on X that Robertson would return to his club and undergo a scan today [Friday]:
“Andy Robertson dislocated his shoulder against Spain. He will fly home and undergo a scan on Friday.”
Our thoughts on Andy Robertson’s injury blow…
There is no doubt that Klopp will be left feeling frustrated to lose such an important player in his first-team, especially with the upcoming Merseyside Derby at Anfield on the resumption of Premier League football, and a Europa League group stage clash quickly following at Anfield just three days later.
However, Tsimikas should have built up enough experience over the years and a sound understanding of the crucial role Robertson plays on the left-flank and as it stands, will likely be given ample opportunity to prove himself to Klopp depending on how long the Scotsman is sidelined.
Over six Premier League appearances so far, Robertson has registered two assists and created three big chances, as well as averaging 4.7 ball recoveries, 1.3 clearances, 60.5 touches and 2.5 duels won per game, as per SofaScore, demonstrating his huge involvement in the attacking presence for the Reds this season.
With that being said, the Anfield faithful will be waiting anxiously to find out the result of Robertson’s scan and the timeframe of his expected absence ahead, whilst also hoping that Tsimikas can step up to the plate and provide a worthy replacement in the defensive set up over the upcoming fixtures.
