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Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson has gone out of his way to help integrate the several new signings who have come in at Anfield this summer — underlining his importance to Arne Slot.
The Reds have brought in Milos Kerkez as a long-term option in Robertson's position and the Scotland captain has been linked with a move away amid interest from Atletico Madrid. But the Liverpool No. 26 has shown how vital his role in the squad remains, especially with Trent Alexander-Arnold, the previous vice-captain, having joined Real Madrid.
"When you look at the four older players or the leaders, with me, Ali [Alisson Becker], Virg [Virgil van Dijk] and Mo [Salah] then we take that upon ourselves to try to let them settle in as easy as possible, and try to integrate them," Robertson told the Reds' official website.
"You know how important that is, especially when they’re coming from different countries, different cultures and things like that. It’s just about trying to get them up to speed as quickly as possible.
"We take great pride in that. We were all young before, and we’ve all needed help going into squads. We still help the young lads as much as we can.
"When it is new players, helping them settle in — finding houses, even just getting them settled with their family, because we know how important that is — it’s so important.
"On the pitch, they kind of look after themselves — they’ve got so much quality and they’re so good. That’s the pleasing thing. Off the field, it’s about making sure they’re not sitting alone, making sure they’re getting to know each other.
"These trips are so important; we’re in the hotel, we’re all away from our families, away from our kids and it’s important that we spend a lot of time getting to know each other and things like that. And we’ve done a lot of that.
"The lads have already settled in really well. Obviously, Hugo has just come in so we’ll have our first dinner with him tonight. But Jeremie, Milos, Gio, and Flo have all really settled in quite quickly.
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"It’s as if they’ve been here for months now, which is pleasing. It’s just up to them to then understand the standards of playing with Liverpool, and I think they’re getting to grips with that already."
Robertson was one of the first Liverpool players to embrace Hugo Ekitike when he arrived on the field in Hong Kong. The French youth international has arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt for a fee that could reach $106 million (£79 million).
And Ekitike might not be the last player to come through the door after Alexander Isak indicated to Newcastle that he would like to leave. Liverpool could also do with signing another center-back.
Liverpool.com says: Robertson was linked with an exit earlier in the summer but that chatter appears to have died down a little. If he stays, that would be a big boost. His experience and know-how within the group is invaluable.
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