Liverpool v Sheffield United - Blades duo undaunted by return to Anfield

In the Eighties, Dave Watson, Alan Harper and Kevin Sheedy found fame ‘across the park’ at Everton. Steve Ogrizovic was another to excel elsewhere.

A decade on and others such as Jim Magilton carved out a niche away from Anfield.

More recently, players such as Ryan Kent, Martin Kelly and Suso have earned their stripes away from their first club. As has Robinson.

The lifelong Red, who returns to his first club in the colours of Sheffield United tonight, famously earned a place in history back on May 9, 2010 – when he became the youngest player to play for the club in a first-team match.

At the age of 16 years and 250 days, Robinson came on as a late substitute at Hull City in Rafael Benítez’s final game in charge.

The record has since been broken by Jerome Sinclair and Harvey Elliott.

A framed shirt from that occasion at the KCOM Stadium serves as a permanent remainder of that special moment for Robinson.

His upbringing through the Liverpool youth ranks, which has not just made good players, but good, humble, solid professionals – a trait going back to the old ‘Boot Room’ days – is a greater gift.

Robinson, who made 11 first-team appearances for Liverpool, is appreciative of the guidance of several key influences along the way.

He said: “There were lots of people including coaches from the Under-10s. When I first got there, Iain Brunskill was a massive help. But I think the biggest influences were Dave Shannon and Steve Heighway; they were massive in helping me further my career and improving my game constantly.

“Rodolpho Borrell is possibly one of the best coaches I have ever had. He was a great man-manager. He definitely took me under his wing and helped me out.

“Coming from Barcelona, where he did, he gave me an insight into football that I didn’t know at the time and I have kept it with me throughout my career.

“I appreciate everything that everyone did for me, coming up through the academy. There are a lot of people who helped me more than they should have in terms of extra sessions and working hard with me and taking me under their wing.”

That Robinson returns to Anfield as a Premier League player is testament to his rise again with spells at QPR and Nottingham Forest earning him his move back to big time.

Having fought so hard to get to this level, the 27-year-old is determined not to let it pass by again.

The Blades’ opening to the season has been difficult with a capital D. The fixture list offers no respite with games against the reigning champions, Manchester City and Chelsea on the roster.

First up is a visit to a place he knows well, with its famous ‘This is Anfield’ sign greeting away sides as they head onto the pitch.

A sign which reminds home players who they are playing for and ‘reminds the opposition who they are playing against’ in the words of the late, great Bill Shankly, the man who started the story.

Robinson, for one, will not be intimated amid surroundings he is familiar with. It does not lessen the degree of difficulty, but at least he knows what to expect.

Motivation will not be short for him or recent arrival Rhian Brewster, hankering for his first start in the colours of the Blades at a club which he recently left.

Even accounting for the absence of the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, coupons across the land are likely to have this game down as a home win – with the fact that the Blades head to Merseyside without two of their own leading lights in John Fleck and Jack O’Connell adding to that conviction.

The visitors are clinging to the hope that strange things can sometimes happen at this level. Strange results have already arrived this season, none moreso than Liverpool’s shocking 7-2 defeat at Villa Park on October 4.

An away win tonight would represent just as great a surprise.

On how United will rationally approach things – and the importance of playing the game as opposed to the names of the backs of those in home shirts – Robinson said: “You take a step back and look at the game. It is 11 players versus 11 at the end of the day.

“The only thing I can say is that those players are at Liverpool for a reason and they are one of the top clubs in the world.

“I don’t think it is people blowing smoke up their backside, I think they deserve to be at that level because they have world-class players and have brought in world-class players. Concentration and hard work are key.”

“Our 11 players need to be on it for the entire game and concentrate for 90 minutes to get anything out of it.”

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