Jurgen Klopp is clearly starting to plan for life after 29-year-old Liverpool player leaves

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Over the past 18 months or so, Jurgen Klopp has overseen a vast remodelling of his Liverpool team.

Having been so successful with more or less the same group of players since 2017/18, things have started to change.

Since summer 2022, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Divock Origi, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have left.

In their places have come some exciting, youthful additions as Liverpool 2.0 takes shape. The legends of tomorrow are already being built. But in amongst the new faces, some old ones still remain.

Judging by rumours emerging this week though, one of those – Andy Robertson – may be about to be phased out.

First, reports from France yesterday suggested Liverpool are keen to sign Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri. Today 90min have brought claims that Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies is on the radar. It doesn’t look great for Robbo.

Liverpool looking at left-backs

The links to Ait-Nouri and Davies represent two quite different things it must be said.

If Ait-Nouri were brought in, Robertson would still fancy his chances of being the first choice. He may have been at Liverpool over six years now, but the Scot doesn’t turn 30 until March.

Although he’s currently nursing an injury, Robertson doesn’t miss much action. In theory his body’s in tip-top shape.

He doesn’t need replacing straight away and Ait-Nouri surely wouldn’t do that. Only 22, he’s done well at Wolves but hasn’t set the world alight. In many ways, he’s reminiscent of Robertson before he left Hull City for Liverpool.

The Algerian would perhaps need time to grow into the role then, but he’d still be signed to replace the Scotland captain, one way or another.

In terms of Davies, well, he’d be pretty much a straight swap. Again, it isn’t as though Robertson really needs replacing, but if a player like the Canadian becomes available then you have to have a go at getting him.

The smart money at this point seems to be on the 23-year-old heading for Real Madrid. But if Liverpool could somehow muscle in, then Robertson’s place would be under immediate threat.

Either way, the reports suggest that Robbo’s time is starting to tick. Eventually all of this great Reds side are going to be replaced, each one will hurt more than the last. There’s no suggestion that Andy is being moved on or anything like that, but perhaps Klopp is starting to realise that there has to be life after Robbo.