He may get his Premier League predictions somewhat muddled but Mark Lawrenson is spot on here.
The former Liverpool and Ireland defender has almost made bias predictions an art-form [see below] but he can spot a decent defender when he sees one.
The Premier League table based on Mark Lawrenson's predictions is bizarre https://t.co/fCatdNhm73 pic.twitter.com/O1yBlszm6D
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) January 9, 2016
Lawrenson is not the only one to have been impressed by one of the most astute signings of last summer – Andy Robertson’s £8m switch from Hull to Liverpool.
The Scottish left-back took some time to bed into the Liverpool starting XI – starting on the bench behind James Milner earlier in the season – but he is flying it now. Although he missed outto Marcos Alonso in the PFA Team of the Season, Gary Neville named him in his best Premier League XI and Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has praised his composure in defence and bravery in attack.
Robertson is now off to his first ever Champions League final after helping Liverpool to get past Roma, 7-6 on aggregate, at Stadio Olimpico.
Lawrenson had nothing but good things to say about the 24-year-old when he spoke to BBC Scotland. He commented:
“I cannot remember a poor game from him.
“What was it, £8.5m or something [they paid for him]? He is probably times that by five at the moment.”
Liverpool’s initial outlay for Robertson was £8m but Hull may yet receive another £2m if the Glasgow native, and his new side, reach certain performance and trophy goals.
Lawrenson went on to note how the young defender has looked completely at home after staving off the positional challenge from the likes of Milner, who is now back playing in midfield, and Alberto Moreno. He said:
“Your first season when you arrive on the scene, it is probably easy, you don’t even think about what you are doing.
“He has got all the tools. We will probably have a better indication at the end of next season. I always judge a player over two years.
“Sometimes they come in and have a great first season, and the second season is maybe not quite as good. That is when you really decide if they are going to be a great, or just a very, very good player. But very, very good at Liverpool is totally acceptable.”
A £40m price-tag for Robertson may initially seem steep until you look at how much decent defenders are going for in Europe at present. Manchester United, for example, are being told they will have to stump up at least £50m to even start the bidding for Juventus’ Alex Sandro.
Liverpool won’t be letting Robertson go anywhere but £40m seems like a solid enough valyuation.
