Milos Kerkez might be destined for a move to Liverpool, but the Bournemouth left-back may well have been dreaming of a move to the Reds’ biggest rivals as a youngster.
The 21-year-old looks to be the Reds’ next target as Arne Slot and Richard Hughes embark on a major overhaul of the squad after winning the Premier League title. Already, Jeremie Frimpong has signed up, and his former Bayer Leverkusen teammate Florian Wirtz is expected to join him later this week.
And with Bournemouth having announced the signing of Rennes defender Adrien Truffert, Liverpool looks to have been given the green light to complete its move for Kerkez.
The Hungary international is perhaps the least surprising of the signings Liverpool will make this summer, however many that turns out to be.
Left-back became a clear priority early on in the 2024/25 season as it became clear that Andy Robertson’s levels were dropping, and Kerkez was being strongly linked with a move to Anfield long before the summer window opened.
Just over a year ago though, Kerkez may have still had dreams of moving to Old Trafford instead.
The defender grew up as a Manchester United fan, and had previously talked up the prospect of joining the club before it became clear that he would be signing for the club’s rivals. Kerkez idolized one United player in particular as a youngster.
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“You don't need to explain to anyone what it means to play football in Manchester United, moreover, my childhood idol, Nemanja Vidic, was also a dominant player there.” Kerkez told Sportal last year.
“It is an honor and a big responsibility to play in a team of this level, every footballer dreams of reaching the highest level and winning trophies.”
Having idolized Vidic growing up, Kerkez will no doubt remember that the Serbian didn’t have the best of times when it came to facing Liverpool - especially when Fernando Torres was involved.
The Spaniard famously humiliated Vidic at Old Trafford back in March 2009 as the Reds won 4-1 to give them some hope of winning a long-awaited Premier League title. Torres pounced on the defender’s indecision during the first half to bring Liverpool back level after Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty, and he wouldn’t give his opponent a moment’s peace throughout the rest of the afternoon.
Fernando Torres terrorized Nemanja Vidic when Liverpool faced Manchester United in 2009
Fernando Torres terrorized Nemanja Vidic when Liverpool faced Manchester United in 2009 (Image: ANDREW YATES/AFP via Getty Images)
Vidic’s misery was compounded when he saw red in the second half for fouling Steven Gerrard, with Fabio Aurelio curling home the resultant free-kick as the defender trudged down the tunnel.
Things wouldn’t get any better the next time Vidic came up against Torres as, just a few months later, the former Liverpool star was once again running rings around him, this time at Anfield.
Torres opened the scoring in a 2-0 win that will be best remembered by Liverpool fans for Pepe Reina running the full length of the field to celebrate with David Ngog after the Frenchman’s late goal to make it 2-0 - a moment that Vidic would have missed after again being sent off on another day he’d rather forget.
Kerkez would be well advised to learn from Vidic’s mistakes if, as expected, he completes the move to Liverpool - and probably best he doesn’t bring up the fact he used to support United again.