Liverpool are looking to sign Milos Kerkez this summerplaceholder image
Liverpool are looking to sign Milos Kerkez this summer | Getty Images
Liverpool are signing Milos Kerkez at just right time and his apprenticeship at Bournemouth could serve him well.
It’s almost a shame that Milos Kerkez will have his move to Liverpool officially announced from Bournemouth and go under the radar.
The Hungarian might be young at 21-years old, however, he already has 23 international caps and has played over 125 times between the Premier League over the last two seasons and the Eredivisie before moving to the south coast. Kerkez is joining Liverpool at just the right time.
He will also be fully aware of the standards needed to hit the ground running at Anfield having experienced Bournemouth manager Andoni Ariola’s high intensity methods.
Milos Kerkez has already shown Liverpool qualities with Bournemouth apprenticeship
Speaking to GQ magazine last month before the move to Liverpool started to build speed, Kerkez explained the demands of his current boss and what makes the Premier League so hard: “He wants us to press high, be physical, run until the last minute. That’s how you win games in this league. He’s instilled that culture in us. We know what he wants. We follow the plan. That’s how the results come.”
“It’s a tough league, every team’s got weapons,” Kerkez considered when asked who is toughest opponent was. “But Salah—he’s the most experienced, the strongest. He breaks records for a reason. You switch off for one second, he punishes you. That’s why he’s always going to be up there.”
“It’s two or three levels above any other league,” he says of the Premier League. “Every player needs time to adapt, especially to the physical part. If you're not on it for the full 90, you’re done. But the staff here—they work with you every day. They get you there.”
Can Kerkez match the Liverpool career of Robertson?
Liverpool are inheriting a player who is eerily similar to Robertson when he first arrived on Merseyside. There is an obvious talent that can be developed, but it is his attitude and physical qualities that make any fears about his ability to adapt to an increased pressure to win every week a lot less ominous.
Robertson made mistakes when he first moved from Hull City, but he didn’t let it get to him and he, at one point, could claim to the the best left-back in Europe and one of the best in the world.
The Scotland skipper wasn’t that player when he arrived, but hard work and the right mentality goes a long way. A comparison between Kerkez and Robertson shows how close the two players are and the younger defender needs to only fine tune his delivery from the flank to reach the level of a Liverpool great.
His arrival might not be as celebrated as that of Wirtz, but Kerkez’s signature could be every bit as important.
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