Andy Robertson has boldly declared that Liverpool “are not going anywhere”, with Premier League champions Manchester City aware that they face serious competition in a 2019-20 title defence.
Pep Guardiola’s side have cemented their standing as the best side in England, with back-to-back crowns secured for the first time in the club’s history.
It took them until the final day of the 2018-19 campaign to get over the line in their latest triumph, with rivals at Anfield pushing them all the way.
To have missed out by a solitary point is tough for those on Merseyside to stomach, with Jurgen Klopp’s side having suffered just one defeat across a season that delivered 97 points.
They do, however, still have a Champions League final outing to come and have shown that they are capable of competing with the very best in the business – both in the present and the future.
Next Match
Robertson told Liverpool’s official website: "It's one of them, 97 points - if anyone offered us that at the start of the season I think everyone would've took it.
"We've come up against an incredible team and for us to get that close, it just shows you how far we've come. We've come a long way since last season and closed the gap to City.
"The good thing is that City know we're here now and we're not going anywhere. This squad will stay together and we need to put everything into next season.
"We've not done much wrong, but we'll learn from it. We've still got a massive game coming up and then we can focus on next season.
"We've come up against an incredible team, but this team isn't bad as well."
Robertson added, with Liverpool’s attention turning to a European showdown with Tottenham on June 1 at Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid: "Man City deserve all the credit they're going to get.
"I think I saw it during the week that nobody has lost this Premier League, it's been won - and it's been won by an unbelievable team that's set the standard. We've kept up with them but we've just fell short.
"We're in the final now and we need to take that one step further that we didn't take last season.
"If we can do it then it'll be a hell of a season. We know how hard that game against Tottenham is going to be."