Mulgrew: Robertson Can Shine at Spurs &Van Dijk Is the Best Player I Ever Played With

Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , former Celtic captain and Scotland international Charlie Mulgrew has cast his eye across the English game, from the top of the Premier League to the battles in the Championship and League One .

Mulgrew has backed Andy Robertson to thrive at Tottenham , welcomed Tony Mowbray 's return to Blackburn , and explained why he was stunned by Wolves' sacking of Rob Edwards .

The former Blackburn man has also discussed Leicester City 's promotion push, revealed how he recommended David Raya before his rise to the top, and delivered an emphatic verdict on Virgil van Dijk amid recent criticism.

Andy Robertson

Can Robertson Make Liverpool Regret Letting Him Go?

Liverpool 's treatment of Andy Robertson is surprising. He's not just a great player; he's a leader and somebody that's almost been like a vice-captain or definitely in one of the leadership groups in there alongside Van Dijk .

So, yeah, I'm surprised they let him go. It was a strange one for me. Every time he stepped in, and we talk about good teammates and being able to handle having less game time, I think Andy would be one of them. He proved it; he came on, and he made big contributions in games for Liverpool , so I'm surprised that they've let him go.

He could definitely still add to that squad, but he's moved on to another big club, and I'm sure he'll prove his worth there. I would imagine Spurs , and he's going to add to that squad. A change of scenery, a change of life for him, goes to London . I'm sure Andy Robertson will be excited about that as well.

The prospect, once he's got his head around leaving Liverpool , then I think it's a great move for him to go to a team like Spurs who will be aiming for the top five, you would imagine, next year. He'll definitely add to Spurs . They'll be happy to have somebody like Andy Robertson . He's in his 30s now, but nowadays that's still young; he's still got a lot of years in him.

Could he go in as the captain there? Why not? I mean, I don't know the dynamics of that changing room and who the leaders are, but Andy 's proved he can captain teams or be a vice-captain. He can be that leader. Without knowing the dynamics in there, I think that he can do it. Why not?

Blackburn

Mowbray's Return to Blackburn?

He's a good manager. I worked under Tony Mowbray , and I look back at the way he manages people, the way he talks to you, the way he makes you feel really important. He's got great ideas in the game. He knows the game inside out, and he's been really successful as a manager. So, it's great to see him back there.

He was a really good fit at the time when he came. He left Coventry in League One , and he got the opportunity to come to Blackburn , and he was brilliant for us, absolutely brilliant. He got us promoted and did really well. He stabilised the club in the Championship ; he was unlucky not to go up, but he built the club up from a bad place, and he united the fans and everybody together again. So I think that he's the man for that again.

Would You Return to Work With Mowbray as a Coach?

I'm never saying never in life. I'm enjoying my life at the moment, but never say never. I just don't know, maybe a role that's kind of in between the manager and the players. I don't want to manage a team, but I think I potentially could have some sort of benefit at a club, letting the manager understand the changing room and helping with that.

Being that guy that kind of helps get the message across to players and finds out how they're feeling. Having that sort of in-between relationship, I think, would maybe suit me. I know it is a thing, but I don't know how many people are actually in that role. But I say never say never; who knows? We'll see what the future brings.

EFL Watch

Can Caldwell Get On at Wigan Athletic?

Gary Caldwell got them promoted before, so it's a good match. I think in his first time in management, he got them promoted straight away. Yeah, definitely, he's somebody that's had a great start in management and then kind of just plateaued a wee bit. I'm sure that's what he'll be trying to do: get that club back up to where they belong. Definitely at least a Championship club.

Surprised by Wolves Sacking Rob Edwards?

Sacking Rob Edwards is wild. I don't know why you're bringing Rob Edwards in when you're down. He was never going to save Wolves ; they needed a magician to save them. You're thinking they're preparing for the Championship because he's somebody that's had promotions there before. And then they get rid of him? I was really surprised.

Even the kind of players they were bringing in, you'd imagine they were top Championship players who almost expected or knew they were going to go down. Yeah, very surprised at that one.

Will Wrexham Compete For the Title Under Parkinson?

Wrexham spent a fair bit of money last year, and they brought some players in, and I didn't expect them to do as well as they did, to be honest. Three consecutive promotions, I mean, it's an amazing achievement, but then you go to the Championship , and it's a completely different thing. They did spend a bit of money, and they came close, but it's so tough.

I mean, you need to toss a coin; you don't know what's going to happen. You'd imagine they'll be in the top 10 somewhere; it's just whether they get that bit of luck to go over the line and make the signings that get them there.

Will Birmingham City Fight For Automatic Promotion?

In the Championship , nothing would surprise me in that league. It's a mad league, and everybody's spoken about it before; it really depends on getting a bit of luck and getting a manager in who is clear in his ideas or knows the league inside out, and then recruits based on how he sees the game, how he sees the league, or how he sees his team playing.

You've got managers like Daniel Farke who knows the league inside out, who came over with an idea from Germany and is a really good Championship manager. So it just really depends. I mean, Chris Davies is still there. Well, he's worked and learned under Brendan Rodgers , and he's getting a year of experience in the Championship . So who knows?

Let's see who they recruit and then how they start. Equally, you could go down. It's the same as Wrexham . Anything can happen when you get off to a bad start, and a couple of things go wrong. All of a sudden you just feel like you can't even win a game. And then the opposite: if you're winning, you just go on a roll, and you feel like you can't even beat anyone, so it's really hard to call that league.

Morrison Getting the WBA Job Full-Time?

James Morrison is a really good guy and a great teammate; somebody I've got a lot of respect for. He did well last year when he stepped in. He'll be looking forward to getting a full pre-season and a transfer window. I think you need to be patient with young managers and allow them to make mistakes. I think if he stabilises the club in the Championship and makes some good signings, then it's a success.

But I know James is competitive and he's somebody that's had promotions in the past, so he'll have one eye on trying to push on. Again, it's about having patience and understanding, understanding that he's young and he's still learning.

What Do Leicester City Need to Do in League One?

At Blackburn we got a couple of bad results in August , and then I signed, and you just couldn't buy a win. Then when Tony Mowbray came in, we were ninth in the form table; the first six months of the season hadn't been good enough.

So we ended up going down on the last day. And then you go down, and it takes a bit to adjust. We lost our first couple of games, and then we found a simpler way of playing and using our strengths. Russell Martin 's just gone in at Leicester , and he knows League One , having managed MK Dons , and then he moved to Swansea ; that was the Championship .

So he knows the league, he's worked in the league, and I think that he can get the best out of the players. But they're going to understand that there's going to be some ugly games of football; it's no Premier League , it's no Championship . There's some difficult pitches and stadiums to go to, and you just need to go and grind out results by playing simply, defending your box, and nicking a goal. When you pick up momentum in that league, I would strongly fancy Leicester with the players in the squad they've got to bounce back.

Premier League

Could You Imagine How Far Raya Would Come?

I wouldn't have seen David Raya doing what he has done. He was a really good goalie, but I didn't think he would ever be at Arsenal and one of the best goalkeepers in the world, playing in a team like that. I did know he was a really good goalkeeper and somebody that could go and have a great career. I actually recommended him to the Scotland goalkeeping coach at the time, who was at Rangers , and I recommended him.

He mentioned he needed a goalie, and I said, our goalie at Blackburn 's really good, young guy coming through, David Raya . And then we sold him to Brentford for two and a half million, which I couldn't actually believe that we'd let him go for that little money.

It just shows you that one guy who doesn't quite fancy you is just one person's opinion, and then he goes and gets a move to Arsenal , and he's been brilliant. So yeah, a lot of respect for David and he always had that confidence that he could get to the top. You always felt that from him, and he's gone and done it.

Recent Criticism of Van Dijk?

Virgil van Dijk is the captain, and he's playing for a huge club, so that's part and parcel of it. He equally gets the praise when there are clean sheets and victories. I think his style and the way he plays sometimes looks like he doesn't care or he's really laid back, but he does. The same style that he plays with is the reason why he's been such a top player. He reads the game really well; he's brilliant in the air; he's a great defender.

He sits in great positions, so he doesn't have to really dive in or make tackles. He's a top player, and I'm sure that he'll bounce back from a bit of bad form and show what he's worth, because he's one of the best defenders in the world. He's the best player I've played with, 100%. It's like when you make your own guy on FIFA , and you put him on 99s; that's what his attributes are. He's got everything.

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