Former Liverpool star claims Andy Robertson is 'only weakness' in Klopp's side

04 October 2023 , 11:24

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Jurgen Klopp has been told Andy Robertson is his only 'weakness' (Image: Getty Images)

Jermaine Pennant believes Jurgen Klopp should move for a new left-back in January and address the 'weakness' in his Liverpool side.

Andy Robertson joined Liverpool from Hull for £8million back in 2017 and has been one of Jurgen Klopp's best value for money signings. He has won every major honour available to him during his time at Anfield, including the Premier League and Champions League, making 274 appearances in the process.

The Scotland captain is still a mainstay in the Liverpool side, having started in each of their opening seven league matches this season. Robertson scored the Reds' second goal in their comeback 3-1 victory over Wolves last month.

However, ex-Reds winger Pennant has claimed that Liverpool should look to replace Robertson, and named Barcelona's Joao Cancelo as a player he wanted Klopp to sign in the summer transfer window.

He told Lucky Block : "The only weakness I can see, and people may think I'm mad for saying this, is Andy Robertson. I'd like to see Liverpool move for a better left-back in January. He's been a great servant for Liverpool, but I think he's moving to the end of his career now. I think another attacking left-back will be needed.

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"Left-backs aren't my forte, to be honest. I would have been happy with Joao Cancelo as he can play on the right or left. I was disappointed Liverpool didn't move for him, but I'm sure their recruitment team have other irons in the fire. They are. There used to be loads of them with the likes of Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines, but that's not the case anymore."

Andy Robertson has been an impressive servant to Liverpool (Getty Images)

Robertson has had to play in a more defensive role since Klopp tweaked his system at the end of last season, which has seen Trent Alexander-Arnold move into midfield in possession. Speaking in April, Klopp hailed the left-back and believes he's a "very smart player" who can adapt well to different positions.

"We cannot have one full-back in the centre of the field and the other one constantly high up on the left side," Klopp said. "That’s difficult. In the first moment of the build-up, yes, his positioning has changed slightly. But [Robertson’s] obviously a very experienced player, a very smart player and he knows when we need him there."

Liverpool suffered their first defeat of the season in an incident-filled affair at Tottenham on Saturday. PGMOL were forced to apologise after Luis Diaz's first-half strike was wrongly disallowed for offside, while Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota saw red in the capital. The Reds will be hoping to bounce back when they face Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League on Thursday.

Kieran King