Andy Robertson is facing real competition at left-back in Liverpool's starting XI for the first time since joining the club seven years ago, with former understudy Kostas Tsimikas showing he can step up to the leading role.

The Scotland international's only real battle for the left-back berth at Anfield came right at the start of his Reds career when he initially acted as backup to Alberto Moreno in the first incarnation of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.

Robertson had been bought from relegated Hull City for £10m in July 2017, although initially Liverpool had Monaco's Benjamin Mendy and AS Roma's Emerson Palmieri at No 1 and 2 respectively on their shortlist of targets, with the club's former head of data, Dr Ian Graham, revealing he had his doubts about the player.

"I was really not certain of Robertson's defending when he arrived," Graham recalled, only for Mendy to join Man City, while Emerson got injured, meaning the Reds moved for the third name on the list instead.

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After waiting patiently for his chance in the first team, Robertson's big break came when Moreno got injured in December 2017, with the Scot grabbing it with both hands - and he has not looked back ever since.

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In the intervening period, the 30-year-old has won virtually every single piece of silverware a player can in his club career, while racking up the joint-most assists by a defender in Premier League history along the way, level on 59 with his team-mate and full-back on the opposite flank at Anfield, Trent Alexander-Arnold.

He also scored crucial goals, such as the late headed equaliser en route to an astonishing 2-1 win at Aston Villa in November 2019 as Liverpool's march to a first league title in 30 years gathered unstoppable momentum.

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Meanwhile, his cuff to the back of Lionel Messi's head in the Reds' unlikely Champions League semi-final comeback win against Barcelona at Anfield in May 2019 encapsulated 'Robbo' for many, the combative Glaswegian always with a point to prove.

Last September, Robertson even captained Liverpool as they came from behind to win 3-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers, scoring their second late on - one of 11 goals in total he has for the Reds - a sign of his growing off-the-pitch influence at the club as part of the Reds' leadership group.

On the pitch, though, it is not too much to suggest he and Alexander-Arnold redefined the full-back role under Klopp, especially in the early "heavy-metal" part of the German's reign when, according to Graham, "It was Jurgen who said, 'My full-backs have to attack, we can fill in for his defence,'" when assessing options for the left-back role in the summer of 2017.

And boy did the duo attack, perhaps best seen with Liverpool's second goal in their 3-1 win against Man City at Anfield in November 2019 when Alexander-Arnold's raking cross-field pass released Robertson in space down the left flank and, from his inch-point centre, Mohamed Salah stooped to head home at the far post.

When Robertson did finally return to action at the end of January, he sustained a serious ankle injury playing for Scotland in March, only to continue playing through the pain as Liverpool chased a historic quadruple and Scotland competed at the Euros.

As a result, the defender crucially missed the start of new head coach Arne Slot's inaugural preseason, including the Dutchman's first matches in charge of the Reds on their tour of the US, meaning he has been playing catchup from both a physical and tactical viewpoint ever since.

So much so that Tsimikas has got the nod for Liverpool's Champions League contests with AC Milan, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen, the Carabao Cup tie with West Ham United, as well as Premier League encounters at Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion this campaign in a clear change from previous seasons when he acted solely as Robertson's understudy.

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"My lineups tell you what I think about this," he said, and who the Reds boss opts to start in the huge Premier League clash with Man City at Anfield on December 1 - live on Sky Sports - will be revelatory.

With Liverpool now facing a testing run of fixtures across three different competitions over the next month - they host European champions Real Madrid four days before Pep Guardiola's side visit Anfield - in reality both players are likely to get plenty of first-team action while the team continues to compete on multiple fronts.

But for now, let's just say reports of 'Robbo's' demise have very much been exaggerated.

Liverpool's season-shaping winter runNovember 24: Southampton (a) - Premier League, live on Sky SportsNovember 27: Real Madrid (h) - Champions LeagueDecember 1: Man City (h) - Premier League, live on Sky SportsDecember 4: Newcastle (a) - Premier LeagueDecember 7: Everton (a) - Premier LeagueDecember 10: Girona (a) - Champions LeagueDecember 14: Fulham (h) - Premier LeagueDecember 21: Tottenham (a) - Premier League, live on Sky Sports
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