Former Liverpool icon on how All White Elijah Just can crack the English Premier League

After being released by Celtic as a teenager, Robertson came through the grades at Queens Park, then an amateur club in Scotland’s fourth tier, before a transfer to Scottish Premiership side Dundee United. Following a season with the Tangerines, he was picked up by Hull City in July 2014. They were relegated to the Championship after his first season, promoted back up, then went down again before Liverpool made their move for him in July 2017.

“Obviously there’s more money in football now in terms of transfer fees and pretty much nobody’s off the market,” Robertson said, when asked about how difficult it is to make the jump to the Premier League. “It’s also getting harder because of the competition. [But] if you just keep improving, keep doing what you’re doing, then it gives you the best possible chance.

“If you take Elijah for instance, he’s gone from the SPL to the Championship. Now it’s all about making the next step, then the next step.

“In my career, every step I made I was up to scratch and that’s why I got to where I am. That’s what it’s all about. When you get given the chance, it’s about then taking the chance, not just being happy that, ‘Okay, I’m part of a Championship team’ or ‘I’m part of a lower Premier League team’ as I was at Hull. You’ve got to always want more.

“As long as you’re hungry for more, showing your ability, then it’s about bettering that and pushing yourself even more. Then obviously you need somebody to take a chance on you.”

The Championship is a good place to prove yourself, as Chris Wood did at Leeds before getting his first Premier League move to Burnley in 2017.

“A lot of people have got eyes on the Championship,” Robertson said. “It’s easier to get into the Premier League [from there] because of how many scouts and things like that. You just have to make each step as they come and if you’re up to it, then you can go far.”

Reflecting on his own career, which saw him play 378 matches for Liverpool, appear in two Champions League finals (winning in 2019) and lift the Premier League trophy twice, Robertson was constantly driven to prove the doubters wrong.

“Every move I made, people questioned if I was good enough, even back when I went from Queen’s Park to Dundee United,” Robertson said.

There were more doubts with his move from Tannadice Park to Hull, just past his 20th birthday.

“I was only a year as a professional ... and I left Dundee United to come to the Premier League,” Robertson said. “Could I make the mark? People were questioning it again and then obviously when I went to Liverpool people questioned it even more and that was the biggest motivation.

“I wanted to prove to people that I could be on the biggest stage, playing in the biggest games and probably even now, with this move [to Spurs]. I’ve had it throughout my whole career and maybe get a little bit fed up with it at times, but it’s something that’s drove me forward.”

Next month, Robertson will begin his 13th Premier League campaign. It remains a privilege – “it’s the best league, the most competitive” – though there is a price to pay, given the global fascination with the competition.

“Eyes are on you at all times. There’s not much break from it, because you do get recognised pretty much everywhere you go,” he says. He tells of being spotted by local Liverpool fans on a break in the remote Maldives.

“I like living a quiet life away from football, especially with my family, so that’s probably the toughest thing. [But] I’m very fortunate to be in a position where people do enjoy what you do and things like that, so I always take it with a pinch of salt. I’d like a quieter life, but I’m certainly not moaning with the life I’ve got.”

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