Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy says the club should be looking at Newcastle United's Lewis Hall this summer
Newcastle United's Lewis Hall and Anthony Gordon warm up
Newcastle United's Lewis Hall and Anthony Gordon warm up (Image: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
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Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy says the signing of Milos Kerkez "hasn't worked" as he called on his old club to move for Newcastle United's Lewis Hall this summer.
Kerkez arrived from Bournemouth for £40m last June, making him the most expensive full-back in Anfield history. However, it's been a tough year for the defending champions, who have lost 11 times in the Premier League.
The Hungary international has been used in rotation with the long-serving Andy Robertson but has often been preferred in the league with the left-back making 31 of a possible 35 appearances so far under Slot with three fixtures left to play.
Murphy, though, says the jury is still out on Kerkez as he made the case for Hall at Newcastle.
"At left-back, although Kerkez is a trier and he's improved, is he at the level Liverpool need to win league titles and Champions League?" Murphy told Betrades.gr.
"My feeling is that he's not. He's probably an understudy; he's probably a backup. Now, if you've got 60 games in a season and you're competing in all competitions, you can't just have one. But he's not better than Andy Robertson."
"When you think of Liverpool in the years gone by, you think of Trent (Alexander-Arnold) and Robbo (Robertson), Trent and Robbo.
"You know you've got that wonderful attacking ability from both of them. Both good footballers and calm on the ball, and that settles down the centre-halves. I think (Ibrahima) Konate and Virgil van Dijk have suffered because of the changes in the full-back areas.
"I think they need to bring someone in who can really compete and play and not be an understudy to Kerkez. I think they need to go and get somebody who's established and of real quality that can come into the team, push Kerkez, and probably overtake him, if I'm being honest. The Kerkez signing hasn't really worked.
“To be honest, depending on what happens with the Newcastle situation, I'm a huge fan of Lewis Hall. I think he's a wonderful player, a brilliant footballer, and when it comes to one-on-one defending, he’s very, very good.
"It's probably unlikely you're gonna get him out because it it looks like Sandro Tonali might go and Anthony Gordon might go.
"But if Newcastle do have to sell and you can pinch him, even if you have to pay a bit more for him, he's still a young man, he's got the Premier League experience, and I think he's been one of Newcastle's shining lights this season.
“There's a lot of great left-backs out there not worth mentioning because I don't think you'd tear them away from PSG Bayern Munich, and they're at some of the biggest clubs in the world, and you'd like to be able to grab them and take them, but I'm not sure.”
Liverpool return to action when they face Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday lunchtime.