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Liverpool selling Kevin Stewart as part of a deal for Andy Robertson would go on to be seen as one of the club's best pieces of business in the last decade.

The midfielder made 14 senior appearances for the Reds after joining from Spurs in 2014 but was sent out on three loan spells in the space of a year.

In the summer of 2017 it became clear Stewart's long-term future would reside away from Anfield and when Jurgen Klopp moved to buy Robertson from the relegated Hull City, an exchange deal of sorts was arranged.

The Scot joined Liverpool for an initial fee of £8 million while Stewart went the other way for £4 million, potentially rising to £8 million.

After the transfer was complete the midfielder admitted how hard it hard been to leave the Reds but that he had done so for the sake of his career.

But while Robertson began to adapt to life in Liverpool, becoming a regular by the December of 2017, Stewart took longer to find his feet in Hull.

Andy Robertson on the Liverpool moment that changed entire mindset of Jurgen Klopp's squad

The Championship side endured a difficult start to the season, resulting in a change of manager with Nigel Adkins replacing Leonid Slutsky.

Injuries also hampered Stewart's progress. He found himself in and out of the team with many fans questioning whether he would make the grade.

But fast-forward two years and the Tigers find themselves greatly missing the player current manager Grant McCann has called "the heartbeat" of the team.

The second half of last season saw Stewart become an important fixture in Hull's midfield, starting games regularly as the club pushed for a place in the top six, ultimately missing out with a couple of games to go.

And when McCann replaced Adkins in the summer, the Irishman was quick to build his midfield around the 26-year-old.

(Image: William Early/Getty Images)

After waiting two seasons for his first Hull goal, Stewart managed to score two in one game as the Tigers beat Luton Town 3-0 in September.

“He offers energy and aggression but he can play, left foot and right foot. He’s been outstanding, he really has. And long may it continue,” McCann told Hull Live earlier this season.

"It doesn’t surprise me because he’s one of the first ones in every morning and he’s definitely the last to leave every day.

"He wants to learn and get better. He’s been at a huge club for most of his career in Liverpool and he’s shown me that he’s got the fire in his belly to get back to the top.

"Hopefully he can do it with us and if it’s not us then he does it by himself because he’s got all the attributes to play at the next level."

But in November he broke a bone in his foot and has been on the sidelines ever since.

His absence has been a blow for the Tigers who are again looking to claw their way into the play-off places and McCann had to dip into the transfer market to strengthen his midfield options, recruiting Liverpool's Herbie Kane on loan earlier this month.

And while Liverpool fans will understandably think they got the better end of the Stewart-Robertson swap deal, the midfielder is now showing his worth - in his absence as much as his presence at Hull City.