Milos Kerkez now faces what insiders are calling an “extended spell” away from Liverpool’s starting XI following a troubling performance against Burnley, Football Insider reports.
The Merseyside club signed Kerkez from Bournemouth in the summer transfer window and since the start of the season, the left-back has been a starter for Arne Slot’s team.
His arrival has pushed Andy Robertson to the bench and while Kerkez has been largely impressive for the club since signing for them, he could now lose his place to the experienced Robertson.
During the match against Burnley, Kerkez showed his inexperience when he was booked for simulation and that forced Slot to take the defender off in the first half.
The Dutch manager replaced him with Robertson who had a brilliant game for the defending Premier League champions and helped them win 1-0 against Scott Parker’s side.
Arne Slot could prefer Robertson over Kerkez
Former chief scout Mick Brown has discussed the situation regarding Kerkez and what it means for the Hungarian left-back in terms of his chances moving forward.
“Kerkez is going to struggle to get back into the team now,” he told Football Insider.
“The manager made that decision to take him off during the first half, and it was probably the right one because he was at risk of getting sent off.
But if you’re putting the manager in a position where he has to make that call, he’s not going to be happy with your performance.
“Robertson would be the first-choice left-back for the majority of clubs in the Premier League, and he’ll be keen to make his mark and come back into the starting XI.
“I thought when Kerkez was going to Liverpool that he would be a top-class replacement for him.
“By no means is he a bad player, he’s obviously top quality and they rate him highly at Liverpool, but this is what you need at top clubs in the modern game.
“Players need to know that if they make a mistake or they’re not up to scratch, there’s somebody waiting in the wings to replace them, it’s a bit of healthy competition.
“So I expect Kerkez could drop out of the team with Robertson coming in, and then it will be a battle for him to earn his place back in the starting XI.”
Milos Kerkez has a long way to go at Liverpool
Brown’s comments show that the margin for error at top clubs is small. Slot might now favour Robertson’s experience of Kerkez’s youth.
While Kerkez is an asset when it comes to the attacking aspect of the game, defensively he can be a bit sluggish.