Liverpool CONFIRM Andy Robertson heir's RETURN from loan spell | OneFootball

Andy Robertson has been one of Liverpool’s most consistent players since he made the move to Anfield in 2017.

The Scottish captain is up there with the Reds’ best-ever signings due to his performances and his low £8m fee.

However, in recent months, speculation has grown over his future at the club as Arne Slot looks to strengthen his squad and put his own stamp on things.

A shoulder injury ruled him out of three months of last year, and Robertson has had to share minutes with Kostas Tsimikas this season after playing through the pain to represent Scotland at EURO 2024 while carrying another knock.

Now 30, Robertson is getting to the stage of his career where potential replacements are being spoken about.

Anfield Watch exclusively revealed that Liverpool have asked Bournemouth for permission to speak to Hungarian fullback Milos Kerkez ahead of a transfer, while Tsimikas himself has been linked with a move to Fulham as part of a deal to bring Antonee Robinson to Anfield.

It seems like nailing down a new long-term left back is one of Slot’s priorities, with both Robinson and Kerkez similar in style to Robertson.

Now Robertson faces more competition from within the Liverpool squad with the return of a highly-rated youngster who could be the heir to the left-back throne.

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Calum Scanlon returns to Liverpool

Calum Scanlon was one of the many Liverpool players sent out on loan this season to gain valuable first-team experience.

The 19-year-old made his debut for the club under Jurgen Klopp last season, coming off the bench in the second half of a 5-1 win over Toulouse in the Europa League.

It was a debut made possible in part to Robertson’s shoulder injury, and Scanlon spent much of last season training with the first team as he tried to make a permanent break into the side.

Scanlon was rewarded with a new long-term contract in April of this year, and would have hoped to make an impression on Slot during pre-season, especially as a sale of Tsimikas looked likely at points during the summer.

Instead, Tsimikas stayed to rotate with Robertson and Scanlon was sent to Millwall on a season-long loan where he was impressing before suffering a cruel back injury in September that could rule him out until 2025.

While still technically on loan at Millwall, Scanlon has been pictured back at Liverpool temporarily working on his rehabilitation.

Can Scanlon replace Robertson?

Scanlon joined Liverpool in 2020 for just £500,000 from Birmingham City, and has impressed during his time at the club. He will have seen this year's loan spell as an opportunity to stake his claim as Robertson's heir, so the injury comes at the worst possible time for him.

His rehabilitation could be key to his future at Liverpool, with the hope being that he can get back on the pitch for Millwall this season, having only made one appearance off the bench so far.

However Harris has played down his chances of returning.

Speaking after a draw against QPR in September, he told LondonWorld: "He's got a stress fracture in his back, which is a recurring injury from previous which is unfortunate. We're very disappointed to lose him as he was something very different to what we've got in the squad as a very attack minded full-back.

"He's gone back to Liverpool to be treated in the mid term. He's going to be re-scanned at six weeks and then we'll have a better idea of how long it's going to be, whether he'll be back soon after that or whether it's going to be an extended period. Anything past that is not in discussion at the moment."

If Scanlon's rehab goes well over the next few weeks, there is a world where he stays at Liverpool for the rest of the season as a backup option to Robertson if Tsimikas is sold in January.

Realistically, it's still too early and he'll be hoping to go back out on loan to prove his worth in the Championship.

A recurring injury is the last thing any young player wants, especially at such a crucial stage in their career, so both Liverpool and Scanlon will hope for a permanent solution to his problem before he makes any move.