Virgil van Dijk wants ‘very important’ Andy Robertson to stay at Liverpool

In the aftermath of their defeat at Bournemouth, Arne Slot spoke about the tiredness of his players following their midweek win in Marseille.

Joe Gomez went off injured in the first half, while left-back Kerkez was removed at half-time for Robertson and right-back Jeremie Frimpong made way just before the hour mark.

As Liverpool chased the game, they did so with a back four of two midfielders in Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch, alongside Van Dijk and Robertson. This is a side that lacks serious depth.

Yes, Robertson is considering his options before the World Cup this summer, but with Liverpool still in the Champions League and now well and truly in the thick of the race to qualify for the Champions League next season, it would be a baffling decision if they did allow one of their most experienced players to leave in January.

For Richard Hughes, the sporting director, the question is whether it is really worth losing one of the most important members in the dressing room for a small fee.

There is a likelihood that Kostas Tsimikas will return from his loan spell at AS Roma if Robertson departed, but that would simply be papering over the cracks.

“I need all my players,” said Slot. Perhaps bringing Robertson on at half-time on Saturday was the biggest indication of that.

Robertson ultimately wants to play football regularly and the understanding is that any decision will be made with the best interests of both club and player.

There will be more midweek games to come with Liverpool still in Europe and the FA Cup, and with that more chances for rotation. The reality right now is that it is not in the best interests of Liverpool to allow Robertson to leave this month.