Hull City: Steve Bruce can't have foreseen Champions League success when he gave reluctant debut | OneFootball

Steve Bruce reluctantly gave Robertson an immediate breakthrough into Premier League football

The summer of 2014 saw Hull City acquire two defenders on the same day, and both would go on to make a name for themselves in English and world football.

After the euphoria of the club's most successful season to date - a highest-ever league placing, an FA Cup Final and subsequently, a maiden foray into the UEFA Europa League - Steve Bruce looked to bleed new life into a side full of workhorses such as Curtis Davies, Tom Huddlestone, David Meyler and Liam Rosenior among others.

At this point, Andy Robertson was just 20 years of age and had just two seasons of professional football under his belt since swapping Queen of The South for Dundee United.

And, it would be fair to say, after signing for the Tigers on the same day as current Manchester United and England defender Harry Maguire in July, even Steve Bruce couldn't have foreseen the trajectory the Scot would go on in East Yorkshire, and subsequently as a cult figure for Liverpool.

Steve Bruce was reluctant to hand Andy Robertson his Hull City debut vs QPR

After making a reported £2.85m move from Tannadice, Robertson was thrust straight into the rigours of Premier League football against newly-promoted Queens Park Rangers, a game which Hull would emerge 1-0 victors in through a James Chester header.

However, whilst the full-back was preparing to captain Scotland in the UEFA European Championships in June 2024, Bruce admitted his reluctance to hand Robertson his top flight debut so soon at Loftus Road, given what has transpired since.

"When I signed him, he arrived at Hull with his mum and dad. I thought I had signed a schoolboy," Bruce said on talkSPORT via the Liverpool Echo. "He was that young and that young-looking.

"In all honesty, at the start of his career, I didn’t really want to throw him in because he was young, but we had the first game of the season against QPR away in the Premier League, and we didn’t have a natural left-back," Bruce added.

"I am looking around and thinking, but I have just signed one, I am going to throw him in because he was just so young. He never came out of the team. That’s how well he had done."

Robertson would go on to mark his debut with a significant goal-line clearance against the Hoops, and never looked back, even though Hull were relegated at the end of his first campaign at the club.

Hull City will feel great pride in Andy Robertson's success story

However, just 12 months later, Robertson would play a significant part in City's redemption arc as they were promoted via the play-offs, with the left-back registering seven goal contributions in 42 regular-season outings.

The man who made 115 appearances for Hull was then involved at both ends over the course of the play-off semi-finals against Derby County, scoring what would prove to be the decisive goal over the two legs at Pride Park, before scoring an own-goal as Bruce's men almost surrendered a comfortable advantage at the MKM Stadium.

And, despite Hull being relegated once again after the most turbulent of pre-seasons, which saw Bruce resign weeks before the opening game of the campaign, Robertson was one of those in Black and Amber to emerge with great credit for his performances, especially under Marco Silva, who arrived in January 2017.

Unsurprisingly, this form, which included a goal against West Ham United in April 2017, caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp and the Reds after Hull fell back into the Championship.

Given what Robertson has gone on to achieve for the Merseyside outfit, which includes winning the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup in over 300 appearances for one of English football's most-prestigious outfits, the upfront fee of £8m which was accepted by Hull and saw Kevin Stewart move to East Yorkshire has been viewed as one of the biggest bargain transfers of recent times.

Despite now being one of the more senior figures under new Liverpool boss Arne Slot, Robertson's dynamism continues to be his biggest strength, showcased in a tally of over 75 goal contributions from defence in the past seven-and-a-half years.

Whilst those of a Black and Amber persuasion are often left to reminisce about the full-back's three-year stint, you'd be hard-pressed to have seen anyone who saw Robertson's career panning out in such fashion back in July 2014.