Long linked with a move to Liverpool, the impressive Fulham and USMNT star Antonee Robinson has responded to the rumors that he could end up at Anfield. He previously played for Everton earlier in his career.
With doubts over the long-term suitability of Andy Robertson for the left-back role, Liverpool might need to search for an upgrade in that position this summer. Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez is another who has persistently been in the gossip columns.
Robinson would be a cheaper option, potentially, though turning 28 years old before the start of next season, he would also be outside of the likely bracket for the Reds to consider. Fulham, for its part, is desperate to keep the defender, who has 10 assists in the Premier League so far this season.
“I’ve been in the game long enough now, you know you’ve got to block out the outside noise,” Robinson told ESPN. “I’ve been on the end of it when I’ve not been playing well.
“I saw the criticism when I was younger, people like doubting me and things. I know that there are two sides to the coin. You just have to take everything with a grain of salt.
“You have to believe in yourself, and when things are going bad, focus on yourself, and when things are going good, focus on keeping going. Transfer rumors and stuff like that, I try not to look at.
(Image: Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images)
“The Liverpool one, all my friends and family are from Liverpool, so it’s more them messaging me rather than me seeing newspaper stuff. And I say to them, ‘It’s just a story in the paper.’
“Eventually I want to perform at the highest level that I can. Whether that’s playing Champions League, playing European competitions with Fulham, however I get there, I want to make sure I get there.”
Robinson has already impressed Mohamed Salah, as he explained in an interview with The Athletic earlier this year. “We played Liverpool in the first game of the season two years ago,” he said.
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“I remember him saying to me midway through the game, ‘How old are you?’ So he didn’t really know who I was. I must have been 24, 25. He just nodded and carried on with the game.
“Then, after the game, I asked for his shirt, so we swapped shirts and we were just chatting and he was like, ‘You were the best player this game, keep up what you’re doing’. That was very nice of him.”
Liverpool.com says: Robinson is having a great season but he is simply too old to be a top candidate. If he was the same age as Kerkez, to use one example, there would be a real decision to make.
Given he is around six years older, though, there isn’t really a comparison to be made in terms of appeal. Liverpool needs a ready-made player to come in, which Robinson would be, but his time has almost certainly passed in terms of ending up back on Merseyside.
