Andy Robertson has made a bold statement about the competition for places at Tottenham as he gets set to battle Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence for the left-back spot next season.
The 32-year-old has only had a few days at the club, having arrived a bit later after being involved in the World Cup with Scotland.
Robertson has admitted he is excited to join another massive club after nine years at Liverpool, insisting it is the perfect time in his career to explore a new opportunity.
The 32-year-old may make his first appearance in a Spurs shirt on Sunday in the Lilywhites’ pre-season friendly against Auckland FC, and he is not worried about the competition for places in North London.
Andy Robertson makes confident statement ahead of battle with Destiny Udogie at Tottenham
The left-back insisted that he is no stranger to having serious competition for his place in the starting eleven, having spent the last nine years at Anfield.
He remarked that the competition for places across the Tottenham squad is strong, admitting that he has been impressed by the quality of the players in his first few training sessions.
When asked about potentially having to compete with Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence for the left-back spot, Andy Robertson said (via Tottenham’s official website): “You go to big clubs, and if you look at all big clubs, you don’t have it easy in any position. The club, the manager, the people above are trying to create a squad where there’s competition in every position. You don’t stay at the top and you don’t play for big clubs if you’re not ready to compete for positions, if you’re not ready to fight for your positions, and that goes for everyone. It goes for everyone in the squad.
“If more new players come in, if all the new players come in, everyone’s going to need to play for their place. For me, that’s something I’ve been used to for the last nine years. It’s something that I’ll be used to until my career ends. It’s nothing new for me.
“The quality of player in this squad is very good. If we can just get more out of it then, like the manager said, the last two seasons in the Premier League haven’t been up to scratch for Tottenham. They’ve been down the wrong end of the table. I think everyone’s determined to not make that happen this season. As long as everyone’s pulling in the same direction, everyone’s competing, then I think we’ve got a squad that can be a lot higher up than where they were.”
Robertson is keen to take Spurs back to where they belong
Although the full-back may not have been part of the disaster that unfolded at the club last season, he has noticed a determination at the club to set things right.
Robertson admitted that he is motivated to do his part to take Spurs back up to the top end of the Premier League table next season.
When asked if it feels like a refresh at the North London club this season, the new signing said: “Different, yes, of course. Last season, I think everyone will admit, it was too close for comfort. I think for me, when I’ve been in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur have always been up the other end of the table, competing and being in the Champions League and being in Europe.
“For me, that’s what the fans expect. That’s what the people in the club expect. That’s what the manager expects. I also think that’s what the players expect as well. So, it’s up to us to try and make that happen. It’s up to us to try and use this pre-season to build towards that and then hopefully have a lot better Premier League season than we have done in the last two seasons.”