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How do you get over the gut-wrenching heartache of losing the Champions League final?

Some Premier League stars would have jumped on a plane to Las Vegas or Saint Tropez. Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson went to Homebase in Formby.

“I didn’t speak to anyone for a while,” he said.

“The day after the final, all my family were flying back and coming to the house. I had over 20 people at the final and they were all flying in at different times

“I sat up and spent some time with my little one (Rocco) because he can’t speak, which I was quite happy about!

“You put so much into the whole day, so much adrenaline, and then you have a massive come down afterwards. That hit me.

“I had to get through it. I went out with my dad and bought a barbecue from Homebase because everyone was coming round. It just got me out the house!”

Surrounded by his family, Robertson was able to start putting things in perspective. It had been a remarkable campaign for the Scotland international following his £10million move from Hull City.

Having started the season behind Alberto Moreno in the pecking order, he ended it as a bona fide Kop favourite – clocking up 30 appearances and playing in the biggest game in club football.

“My dad (Brian) is quite good in those kind of situations. He’ll talk about everything but football,” Robertson continued.

“Me, him and my missus’ dad took care of the barbecue. By about three o’clock when everyone had arrived, I was just happy to have my family around me. I could see how proud they were of me and it was a good comfort.”

Jurgen Klopp recently revealed that he hadn't watched the final against Real Madrid back but Robertson has put himself through it.

“Yeah, I have,” he said. “It was a tough watch. I watched the first half an hour and I was thinking ‘we’ve got them here!'

“I think we settled into the final a lot quicker than they did. A lot of people didn’t expect that with their experience in finals.

“The injury to Mo (Salah) affected us and things started going wrong after that. I honestly think the second goal took the wind out of our sails, and we didn’t know how to bounce back from it.

“Sadio (Mane) hit the post but (Luka) Modric started coming into his own, calmed the whole game down and it was a real struggle for us. They won comfortably in the end.

“We got the bus back to Melwood after we landed (from Kiev) and the manager held a meeting just to talk over the season more than anything.

“But coming back for pre-season he's not mentioned it. It's a fresh start for everyone. We can use the experience of what we did last season this time around, not just in the Champions League but in the FA Cup and the League Cup too.”

It's been some journey for Robertson. Six years ago he was playing amateur football for Queen's Park when he tweeted: “Life at this age is rubbish with no money. Need a job.”

His hard graft has been rewarded but he remains humble, grounded and fiercely committed.

Kopites have taken him to their hearts and he's been mobbed by supporters during the pre-season tour of the States.

“It’s been brilliant out here,” he said.

“I've never been to America before and the fans have really turned out. You see them wherever we go, waiting outside the hotels, shouting your name or whatever. It’s a good experience to come here and see how big the club really is.

“The first couple of months of last season I wasn’t really anywhere to be seen. There was no big deal about it and that was probably what I wanted at the time. Now I feel more established in the squad.

“You get noticed more on holiday and things like that, but I only went to Portugal so it was full of Scousers and Glaswegians anyway!

“It’s good to be noticed because it means you’re playing and doing something right.”

(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

With praise comes increased expectations levels. Robertson knows that he has to raise the bar even higher in 2018/19.

“As soon as you put in one good performance for a club like this there’s pressure because the next week fans expect it again,” he added.

“Last season nobody put pressure on me really. I think for some fans anything I did was a bonus!

“This season there’s more expectation but I have to use that to my advantage. I like pressure, I put in on myself and I think I get the best out of myself by doing that.

“I just can’t wait for the season to start now. Hopefully we can hit the ground running and keep the confidence from the back end of last season.

“The run-in last season, the last six or seven weeks, that was special. You could really feel the togetherness of the whole club - everyone pulling in the same direction.

“It was a special time, the fans got right behind us and were enjoying what we were doing. Obviously it ended in disappointment but if we can create something similar this season then hopefully we can bring success.”

The top target is to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title.

Champions Manchester City ran away with it last season but Robertson believes that Klopp's £170million summer spending spree will help the Reds to close the gap.

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He said: "City just blew everyone away really. Even if you see Man United’s points total, usually that’s not too far away from winning it, but last season it was miles away because of the way City had done it.

"The first part of the season was crucial, and they were too far away from us from quite early on. Hopefully the gaffer’s identified players who he thinks can come in and make a difference. There’s no doubting their quality.

“It’s always good to get to know the new guys. There’s a bit of a language barrier with Naby (Keita) and Fabinho but they’ve settled in really well.

"(Xherdan) Shaqiri is here too and Alisson will come in next week. It gives certain positions added competition and that’s what we need.

"Last season we were doing well with injuries then it all sort of hit us at once. We struggled near the back end of last season with that.

"This year, we’ve got a stronger squad and the competition is there. If there’s competition in training then the training is intense, and then you have the pressure of a weekend that if you don’t put in good performances then your place is maybe up for grabs."