Kevin Kilbane has branded Liverpool defender Andy Robertson the best left-back in the Premier League.
Robertson, 24, has been a revelation since joining from Hull City in July 2017 and recently put pen-to-paper on a new five-year contract extension at Anfield.
Is Robertson the league’s best left-back? Five things to know…
- Robertson became a Liverpool starter by replacing Alberto Moreno after a “miserable” first three months.
- He helped the Reds to a Champions League final last May and has missed just two league games this term.
- Virgil van Dijk recently tipped Robertson to captain the club one day.
- Manager Jurgen Klopp has also previously tipped the Scot for future captaincy.
- Robertson has created the more chances from open play (27) than any Premier League defender this season.
Signed for a figure in the region of £8m from the Tigers, Kilbane now believes such a paltry fee looks an absolute bargain in the current market.
“Best left-back in the Premier League for the last year I’d say,” he told reporters.
“You’d look at Manchester City with Benjamin Mendy, he’s probably not as good as Robertson defensively. I think Robinson is equally as effective going forward as you see with the assists he’s got. Outside of those key three players up front he’s Liverpool’s most effective player.
“What a player, what a signing, he’s been. It’s a snip, was it £12-13 million?
“He seems to forget for the first five months he wasn’t getting a game, he was in and out. He still fancied Moreno to an extent when we were watching thinking, how can he see Moreno ahead of him, even defensively, and now he’s gone on to establish himself.”
How does Robertson compare to other Premier League left-backs?
A focal component of Klopp’s high-pressing style, Robertson is often given freedom to surge forward and help out in Liverpool’s attacks whenever possible.
As such, the 24-year-old boasts some very impressive attacking statistics, but how does he fare against the league’s other left-backs?
At present only Marcos Alonso has registered more passes (1246) and taken more touches (2094) than Robertson (1173 & 1905) this season.
As mentioned, Robertson has also created the most chances of any left-back from open play (27) this season and also ranks third for overall chances created (including assists) with 30.
He has also registered the joint-second most assists among left-backs this season (5) with only Watford’s Jose Holebas registering more (6).
But it is not just Robertson’s attacking attributes that makes him stand out, he is also a proficient defender.
The Scot has made more tackles (52) than any other Premier League left-back this season and made the second-most recoveries (142) too.
The post Andy Robertson is the Premier League’s best left-back, says Kevin Kilbane appeared first on Squawka News.
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