Liverpool ace reveals Arne Slot message convinced stars he was perfect Jurgen Klopp replacement

Liverpool were on a pre-season tour in the United States when Arne Slot walked into the training ground in Pittsburgh to tell his squad that his No.1 aim was to eclipse Manchester City and Arsenal

Andy Robertson knew Arne Slot was the man to replace Jurgen Klopp when the Dutchman challenged Liverpool’s players to win the Premier League before a ball had been kicked in anger.

The Reds were on a pre-season tour in the United States when Slot walked into the training ground in Pittsburgh to tell his squad that his No.1 aim was to eclipse Manchester City and Arsenal.

Liverpool go into the Carabao Cup final looking to land the first piece of silverware of their manager’s reign, just five days after their treble dream was ended by a cruel penalty shoot-out defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

But the Merseysiders are 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League – after Slot refused to accept that his first season at Anfield would be one of consolidation.

Robertson revealed: “When you’re at a club like Liverpool you can’t afford a settling-in period. It’s a massive club that expects to win trophies – and the manager was very clear on that from his first day.

“I remember his first meeting in America and he basically said ‘we finished third last season and the season before, but we now want to finish above the other two.’

“So, in his mind, it was clear that he was coming to win trophies. It wasn’t like he’d be happy with the top four. It remains to be seen whether we do win trophies, but he’s put us in helluva good place to try to achieve that.

“When the manager and the coaches took the job, I think their remit was ‘we want to win trophies, we want Liverpool to be successful and not just by finishing in the top four.’ The players could get onboard with that.

“At the same time, the manager came into a changing room and saw players that expect and are hungry to win trophies. We got off to a good start and that momentum has carried on, but there’s still nine games to go in the league and we’ve got a lot of work to do.

“But as we sit here today, we’re in a really good spot.” Klopp rated dramatic extra-time victory over Chelsea in last year’s Carabao Cup Final as one of the biggest achievements of his reign given Liverpool went to Wembley with a team full of youngsters after being ravaged by injury.

Slot’s task will be to make sure the physical and psychological damage of losing to PSG don’t undermine his bid to land the first part of a double.

Liverpool have not lost to Newcastle in their last 17 meetings, but a thrilling 3-3 draw between the two teams at St James’ Park means the champions-elect will be on their guard.

Robertson said: “We probably should have won the tie against PSG inside 90 minutes, but in extra-time they looked stronger – and penalties are always a lottery.

“It was disappointing to go out, but you have to move on – and we’ve got a chance to do that at Wembley. That’s the beauty of football. Last year’s final was unbelievable, with the injuries we had and the young lads coming off the bench.

“We ended up with the trophy in a dramatic way, winning it last minute. It was an amazing day out for us, for the fans, for everyone connected with the club.

“A lot gets said about the League Cup, but when you get to the semi-final and the final, you realise how good it is to win it. We’ve managed to do that twice – and hopefully we can do it again.

“We know what to expect from Newcastle and we have to be ready. That 3-3 was probably one of the toughest games we’ve had this season and we’re going to need to be at our best to get our hands on the trophy.”

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