Liverpool's Andy Robertson has returned to training and he will reportedly return to first-team action early in the New Year.
The left-back has been missing since dislocating his shoulder while playing for Scotland in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Spain back in October.
That meant he missed the Merseyside derby on the return of club action, and a further 11 games since, as well as Scotland's two November internationals, where they celebrated qualification for next summer's finals.
Robertson is still set for another few weeks out, but the Daily Mail claims that he is on schedule to return next month.
A return before the end of 2023 always seemed optimistic, but that will mean he is still set to miss huge encounters in the league against Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle United, as well as their EFL Cup quarter-final against West Ham United.
While not yet returning to contact training, in order to protect his shoulder, the report states that Robertson is back on the grass building fitness after a substantial layoff.
On top of that, the Scot is also undergoing strength training in order to get his shoulder back to perfect condition before risking him in full training, and eventually in the first team.
© Reuters
Robertson is the undisputed number one choice at left-back at Anfield, and had only missed 17 league games in the past five seasons prior to this setback, mainly due to other injuries.
The 29-year-old has enjoyed unbridled success at Liverpool since joining from Hull City in 2017, winning every major honour under Jurgen Klopp, racking up an impressive number of assists along the way.
In tandem with Trent Alexander-Arnold on the opposite side, Robertson has recorded 53 Premier League assists in a Liverpool shirt, and a further seven in the Champions League.
Since Robertson's injury, Kostas Tsimikas has been the man most often tasked with deputising, with Joe Gomez also featuring on occasion on the left-hand side of defence.
The two are likely to continue alternating in the side for the next six matches following their trip to Union SG on Thursday, with Klopp likely to make many changes with the Reds already through as group winners in their Europa League section.
Andrew Delaney
