Robertson reveals real reason Liverpool star TAA's head 'isn't great'

Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold continues to be linked with a summer switch to Real Madrid but is concentrating on making. a recovery from an ankle injury

Andy Robertson has admitted Trent Alexander-Arnold’s head “is not great” … but that it has nothing to do with the intense speculation that he is leaving for Real Madrid. The two Liverpool full-backs are great pals and Robertson admits it has been hard to ignore the talk of his mate heading for the Spanish capital.

But he insists Alexander-Arnold’s irritability is only down to an ankle injury that caused him to miss the Merseyside derby and could keep him out of Sunday’s trip to Fulham. Robertson said: “Trent’s head is not great because he’s injured. He hates being injured, none of us like being injured but it hurts Trent a little bit more.

“That’s all he is focused on. It is impossible for me to say we have not seen all the noise and everyone commenting on it but, for us, our focus is for him to get back fit and healthy.

"Once he does that, what will happen, will happen. No one knows that yet. People can talk and speculate but for us we want Trent back very soon.”

In the absence of Alexander-Arnold and Conor Bradley, who has been out with a hamstring issue, Curtis Jones played at right-back in Liverpool’s Merseyside derby win. And Robertson was full of praise for the versatile Jones.

He said: “I thought Curtis was excellent. Curtis was excellent. He is such an intelligent footballer. We were joking the other day … he has played left wing, number ten, number six, number eight, striker, as a right-back. Hopefully, he can’t play left back!

“But it shows how intelligent he is. He took the game in his stride, was so comfortable on the ball and he defended really well too.”

Ahead of this weekend’s fixtures, Liverpool have a 12-point gap at the top of the Premier League and after the Champions League exit and the Carabao Cup final defeat, Robertson admits it was a relief to get back into the successful Premier League groove. He said: “It was good to be back to winning ways and we go again Sunday which will be a really tough game.

“You guys talk about the 12 points but we talk about the next three points. Every game becomes bigger for us. Every time we win three points, the gap becomes bigger for us.

“We have eight games left, every time we pick up three points, it brings us closer to where we want to be. But we are still a long way off that.”

The last time Liverpool won the title, in the 2019-20 season, they had to celebrate in an empty stadium because of Covid. But Robertson insists their thoughts have not drifted towards a party in an Anfield full house.

He said: “No-one here is allowing us to believe or think like that. We have to focus on the next game. I can guarantee there are 60,000 in Anfield thinking like that. And that is right for them to do. They can get carried away, we are allowing them to get carried away and we take great pleasure in that.

“But we have to stay focused. We are the players, we have a job to do. Keep pushing and keep winning games to get us over the line. If the time comes we will be sure to enjoy it, but we are not thinking that far ahead.”