He may still be only 21 and almost certainly has his best years ahead of him but if there is already one thing that can be said of Dundee United’s Jamie Robson, it’s that he’s a survivor.
Last Friday’s 2-1 win down at Partick Thistle to maintain the Tangerines’ place as early pace-setters in the Championship marked the start of his second century of games for the club.
And his first 101 games have seen more changes in playing, and other, personnel at Tannadice than it’s practical to count.
In a month or so it will be four years since he made his debut in a 3-1 League Cup victory over Dunfermline.
Given the turmoil the club’s gone through since, it can come as little surprise to learn that of the players on duty that day, he’s the only one still wearing tangerine.
As well as seeing plenty teammates come and go since then, Robson has also worked under five different managers and the same number of assistant bosses, not to mention two different owners and three chairmen.
In particular, when it comes to the men picking the team, with each Robson has faced a challenge to prove he’s been the man they should pencil in for the left-back role.
As he himself highlighted in a recent Tele interview, since that debut he’s had stiff competition from well-regarded Scottish full-backs like Paul Dixon and Callum Booth and this term has been presented with the challenge of the arrival from Argentina of the highly-rated Adrian Sporle.
He’s seen the first two off and, with Sporle not even making the bench for the opening two league wins, early indications are he can do the same this time round, particularly if the form he’s shown in those wins over Inverness Caley Thistle and Partick Thistle is maintained.
It should be said the other challenge Robson has faced has been discipline off the park.
Social media footage of him driving while holding a drink – one he stressed was non-alcoholic – and on another occasion a poor choice of fancy dress costume, led to deserved criticism and, almost certainly, hefty club fines.
While those incidents could not be dismissed lightly, it’s fair to point out those who work, or have regular dealings with him, can testify, however bad those episodes looked, he comes across as a level-headed young man who is focused on his career.
Increasingly his displays in a United shirt suggest that’s definitely the case.
>> Keep up to date with the latest news with the Evening Telegraph newsletter
As ever in football, forward players will get more attention, especially when they are doing well, and that’s been the case as summer signing Lawrence Shankland has been banging in the goals.
For all his impressive strike-rate, United’s opening two league wins haven’t just been one-man shows but the result of a team effort and Robson has more than played his part.
Reverting to his more familiar full-back role after finishing, and doing a good job, late last season as a wide midfielder, he’s been up there alongside United’s best players.
Going forward, he is dangerous and more than capable of providing Shankland and the other strikers with the kind of service they’ll thrive on.
There is also no question over those past four years the defensive side of his game has developed considerably.
Despite his still tender years, in Robson there’s an increasingly strong argument manager Robbie Neilson might just have the best left-back in the second tier in his ranks.
And, given his resilience, Robson might prove to be a United player who is around for a good few years to come.
This article originally appeared on the Evening Telegraph website. For more information, read about our new combined website.