Scotland captain Andy Robertson: ‘Forget form, Manchester United v Liverpool is special’

Scotland captain Andy Robertson will be back in the red of Liverpool as they take on Man Utd. Picture: Clive Brunskill/Getty

He is a Champions League winner and his Liverpool side have posted eight straight victories this season to lead the Premier League.

So, achieving a win away to a woefully deficient Manchester United side languishing in the bottom half of the table might not appear to be another significant step on the Scotland captain’s journey.

However, Robertson, in common with most of his club team-mates, has never tasted victory at Old Trafford.

They will be trying to change that this Sunday when Jurgen Klopp’s men face their great rivals.

Liverpool haven’t won at Old Trafford since Steven Gerrard converted two penalties and missed a third when a team managed by Brendan Rodgers claimed a 3-0 victory over David Moyes’ sorry side in March 2014.

If ever there was a time to end that dismal sequence, this weekend would seem to be it.

Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the current United side may be miles from the English football superpower they were in his playing days. Yet Robertson maintains that the fixture will never lose its lustre.

The two clubs have claimed more top flight titles than all others in England, albeit Liverpool’s last came in 1990 and United now look as if they could be facing a drought of similar magnitude.

“I think what makes it so special is that it’s historic,” Robertson said.

“There have been such great battles down the years. And they’ve always had top teams who have always fought against each other for everything on the pitch.

“It’s always like that. And it’s genuinely a different atmosphere when you play against them. It’s a historic stadium, nice, though I prefer Anfield… The atmosphere is good, too. There is always an edge to it.

“It’s a proper game and, sometimes, it gets played like a cup tie,” added the left-back, who joined Liverpool from Hull City for £8 million in July 2017.

“I don’t think it matters what your form is like in these games. It doesn’t matter that we’ve won eight on the bounce and they’re struggling. It’s Man United v Liverpool. It will be a one-off game and we’ll see who comes out on top.

“I have no doubt that they’ll produce a reaction after a poor performance and poor performance against Newcastle. I’m absolutely sure that they will be firing and wanting to kickstart their season. For them, there would be no better time to do it than against us. But we have our own objectives and our own aims. That’s what we’ve got to be striving for.”

One of the great English rivalries is likely to once again have a significant Scottish element with Robertson on the opposite side to Scott McTominay after two weeks when the pair have been together on international duty.

Robertson added: “There was a wee bit of banter with Scott during the Scotland duty. Just a wee bit, not much… honest..

“I thought Scotty was fantastic for us against San Marino [a 6-0 home win] and he’s been excellent all season in an United team that has had its critics.

“I think he’s carried himself very well. l’ll be looking forward to facing him. Obviously, I hope to come out on top.

“There have been a lot of Scottish players and managers who have contributed to both clubs down the years. We have that connection and it’s good that me and Scotty can fly the flag down there.

“Hopefully, more can come down and join us, keep that tradition going.”

Liverpool watchers have speculated that the international break came at the wrong time for Klopp’s men after that faultless league start which has allowed them to open up an eight-point lead over Manchester City, who pipped them to the title last season. But Robertson said: “It’s fine when we all get back from an international break.

“Everyone is just so focused on what we’re trying to do with Liverpool, it’s not as if we have time to talk about how we all got on with our national teams. As a team, we are very driven to succeed.

“We’re so focused on getting right back into our stride for the next big Liverpool game. That’s especially true this week, because it’s Man United away.”