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Andy Robertson has disclosed that he had the opportunity to leave Liverpool during the summer, but his loyalty remained with Anfield as he made the tough decision to stay put.
The captain of Scotland has been an integral part of the Reds since his £8million transfer from Hull City eight years ago, winning every possible trophy. Despite being recognized as one of the club's best-ever left-backs, the 31 year old has lost his position to the new £40million signing, Milos Kerkez, this season.
Robertson has only made a single substitute appearance in the first three Premier League matches of the season, as he patiently awaits his opportunity. The defender, who was recently appointed vice-captain of the English champions, declined offers to leave during the off-season, with Atletico Madrid among several clubs interested in him.
The two-time EPL champion is optimistic that he won't be benched for much longer, given the busy schedule of fixtures for both his club and country, after pledging his future to the Reds. He shared with BBC Scotland: "When you're at a top club, I think the season's long, there's plenty of games, and I believe I'll play plenty of games.
"Now, whether that is the case or not, nobody can look into the future, unfortunately, and nobody can see that.
"Obviously, in the summer, I had to think about what I wanted and what I wanted to do. I came to the decision, I committed to the decision, and I'm happy to be there.
"Pre-season, I came back in really good shape, training really well, and obviously, maybe not got the game time that I would have liked in the first part of the season, but that's part and parcel of it.
"I believe when we come back and we've got lots of games, then hopefully that I can play more games. I've missed the feeling of playing games, obviously, I'm used to being a regular starter for so many years and it's been a bit difficult with the transition.
"But I think I've dealt with it fairly well. It's just about trying to look after yourself, keeping yourself as fit as possible, mentally staying as sharp as possible, and I've done that in training.
"Then, obviously, coming away here, I'm just excited to be away with Scotland now and get games under my belt, and also no bigger games than World Cup qualifiers, so excited to be a part of that. Then, let's see what happens when we go back to Liverpool."
Robertson admitted he faced a challenging period reflecting on his future, recognising he would no longer be guaranteed a starting position under Arne Slot.
Speaking before Scotland's World Cup qualifier in Denmark, he revealed: "It was a difficult summer, I would say. We obviously had options, and we just worked through it. I think I worked through it as a family to see what we wanted and what we wanted to do, and I think the consensus and everything boiled down to that my heart was still in Liverpool.
"We wanted to stay, we were very settled there, and we're at one of the biggest clubs in the world and I still backed myself. I believe I'll play games there this season, and I'll play games for club and country, and hopefully it can be another successful season on both fronts.
"Hopefully, come the summer, we're looking at that, we're heading to World Cup, and hopefully we've got maybe a couple more trophies in our hands as well from a club perspective."
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