Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Milos Kerkez was among a few Liverpool summer signings that did not hit the ground running at Anfield.
Florian Wirtz came under fire after he was signed for over £100m and wasn’t scoring or assisting.
Alexander Isak, meanwhile, is yet to live up to his £125m price-tag, in large part due to injury and fitness issues.
Alisson before Marseille vs Liverpool - UEFA Champions League
Credit: Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu/Getty Images
Meanwhile, former Premier League manager Alan Pardew said earlier this season that Kerkez had been ‘found out’ after arriving at Liverpool.
Speaking in October, he said: “You’ve got Kerkez, who really is struggling in that Liverpool shirt.
“I don’t care how you dress it up – he’s come from Bournemouth where he had an outstanding season, mainly through his attacking play, I have to say. He’s been found out a little bit defensively, and I thought he struggled again the other night.”
Arne Slot shares what he did to help Milos Kerkez improve
Over three months on from those comments, Kerkez now looks like a completely different player.
He has firmly cemented himself as Liverpool’s primary left-back ahead of Andy Robertson, who was looking to leave the club in January.
Now, speaking to the media in his pre-Manchester City press conference, Slot has commented on the Hungarian’s upturn.
He explained his role in helping Kerkez get better, simply saying the only thing he could do as a manager was keep playing the left-back through difficult periods.
Slot stated: “This is what you get [Kerkez improving] if you keep playing those players who maybe sometimes have moments that are not as good as other moments or games not as good as other games. I think that’s normal for younger players and the only thing as a manager is to keep trusting them and believing in them because we know who we signed.
“We saw that potential and we knew and, has already been shown, that that potential will be seen if you keep playing them.”
Milos Kerkez pictured during Liverpool's Premier League match against Newcastle United at Anfield.
Credit: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images
Liverpool have new plan for Andy Robertson
As mentioned, Robertson was linked to Tottenham Hotspur towards the back end of the January transfer window, and a deal looked close.
However, he ended up staying put amid complications with Kostas Tsimikas’ return from his AS Roma loan stint.
Robertson now has just five months left on his Liverpool contract, and there was an expectation he would leave for free at the end of June.
However, there have been reports this week that the Scotsman could now be offered a contract extension.