Virgil van Dijk wants ‘very important’ Andy Robertson to stay at Liverpool

In the wake of the defeat to Bournemouth, Arne Slott spoke of his players being tired following their midweek win in Marseille.

Joe Gomez went off injured in the first half, while left-back Kerkez came off at half-time, replacing Robertson and right-back Jeremy Frimpong just before the hour mark.

As Liverpool chased the game, they did so with four central midfielders at the back, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch, alongside Van Dijk and Robertson. This aspect lacks serious depth.

Yes, Robertson is considering his options ahead of this summer’s World Cup, but with Liverpool still in the Champions League and now in the thick of the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League, it will be a baffling decision if they allow one of their most experienced players to leave in January.

For Richard Hughes, the sporting director, the question is whether it is really worth losing one of the most important members of the dressing room for a small fee.

There is a possibility that Kostas Tsimikas could return from his loan spell at Roma if Robertson leaves, but that would just be filling in the cracks.

“I need all my players,” Slott said. Perhaps Robertson’s inclusion at halftime on Saturday was the biggest indication of this.

Robertson ultimately wants to play regular football and it is understood that any decision will be made in the best interests of the club and the player.

There will be more games in midweek as Liverpool continue in Europe and in the FA Cup, and with that more rotation opportunities. The reality now is that it is not in Liverpool’s interests to allow Robertson to leave this month.