Garth Crooks has lauded Andrew Robertson by describing him as the best left-back in the Premier League since Ashley Cole.
The 24-year-old Scotland international has so far enjoyed a stellar campaign and recently starred for Liverpool in their comfortable 3-0 win over Bournemouth at Anfield.
How good has Robertson been? Four key things to know…
- Robertson joined Liverpool from relegated Hull City in 2017 for an initial fee of £8m.
- He ended his inaugural campaign having created five goals across 30 matches in all competitions.
- Only Ben Davies (6) assisted more Premier League goals as a full-back than Robertson (5) during the 2017/18 season.
- Already in this season, he’s leading the way having created six goals across 24 matches.
Near ever-present this season, having missed just two of Liverpool’s opening 26 league outings, Robertson is among the most valuable players under Jurgen Klopp.
A defender first and foremost, Robertson epitomises the modern full-back through his willingness to join attacks. He’s creating no fewer than 1.3 chances per 90 minutes and has assisted six goals in the Premier League this campaign already one more than he managed last season – his first in a Liverpool jersey.
It’s this seamless capability of combining both roles that has earned the Glaswegian unanimous praise from his manager, supporters and observers in the media.
Robertson is now widely considered as the Premier League’s foremost left-back, with Crooks going so far as to say there’s been no one better than him since the days of Cole who represented Arsenal and Chelsea across a 15-year spell.
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“I just love watching this kid play. Apart from anything else, he has nerves of steel,” he wrote in his BBC Sport column.
“The ball he played for Georginio Wijnaldum to score was just wonderful and the side-foot volley when Sadio Mane should have scored was just sensational.
“There is nothing more frustrating for a striker than a full-back who offers nothing going forward and I’ve played with enough to know. Robertson is a striker’s dream and the best I’ve seen since Ashley Cole.”
Who are Robertson’s competitors?
As things stand, after 26 league matches played for a majority of clubs in the Premier League, no full-back has created more goals (6) than Robertson.
José Holebas of Watford is level with Robertson, while behind them is Héctor BellerÃn (5), who expected to miss the rest of this campaign for Arsenal. Three full-backs are on four assists, including Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy who has only featured across eight matches.
Robertson is now more than halfway to Cole’s overall assists total. The former England international created 31 goals across 385 appearances in the Premier League, while Robertson currently stands on 15.
Next up for Liverpool and Robertson is a Champions League round of 16 first-leg date with Bayern Munich at Anfield before contesting a mouthwatering Premier League showdown at Old Trafford against a resurgent Manchester United.
The post Robertson labelled the best Premier League left-back since Ashley Cole appeared first on Squawka News.
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