Andy Robertson says he was forced to adapt quickly to Liverpool’s ‘sky-high’ standards.
Robertson sealed an £8 million move to Anfield last summer from Hull City and was expected to become an automatic choice at left-back for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
But Alberto Moreno’s resurgence has seen the Scotland international’s chances restricted, with only injury to the Spaniard affording him a regular run of games.
Now Robertson, 23, is determined to become a guaranteed starter for the Reds and is confident of doing so after acclimatising to Klopp’s intense level of demands.
“Unfortunately, Alberto got injured. I have managed to take advantage of it and hopefully there is more to come,” he told Liverpoolfc.com.
“It’s hard; with the quality, in this squad, you always need to be ready, because if you get one chance and don’t manage to take it then it could potentially be your last chance.
“When you get the chance you have to try to prove to the manager that you’re either ready to make the step or you can come in from the cold, as such, and perform to the levels that the boys have been performing to.
“We’ve got the luxury of having such a good squad – and such availability just now – that if somebody is playing with a knock it’s up to the manager whether he takes the risk or not.
“I’ve always been quite lucky in my career that I’ve been fit and I look after myself. The squads I’ve been at, I’ve been one of the fittest.
“But when you come here it’s a completely different standard. In training, it’s like a game – the intensity. Even the small things, when you do boxes, it is high intensity with the press, the passing and the movement.
“That’s what you get at the top clubs. It’s something you want to be a part of.
“It does take time to adapt; the lads’ standards are sky-high and if you drop below that they tell you, so you do adapt quite quickly.”