EXCLUSIVE: Former Premier League defender Danny Mills on Liverpool full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, who have had a mixed time since arriving at Anfield
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola.
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola.(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Milos Kerkez has been questioned, while Jeremie Frimpong has been dropped in favor of a center-back, Ronald Araujo. It would be fair to say there is room for improvement for two of Liverpool's 2025 summer signings in the coming months.
In the case of Kerkez, though, he is a player that Andoni Iraola has worked with before. And ahead of returning to their old side, Bournemouth, this Sunday, the Hungarian international has been mixed in his performances so far this term.
Taken out with Kostas Tsimikas coming in against Fulham, it seems unlikely that Kerkez - unlike Frimpong - will lose his spot in the team again any time soon. But Iraola will be hoping for more.
"Kerkez obviously played and worked under him before, and that's how he got his move, so I think that should be a bonus for both the manager and the player," the former Premier League defender Danny Mills tells Liverpool.com.
"Frimpong, I think we've still not maybe seen the best. Liverpool still seems to be tinkering a little bit with that right-back position. They haven't really found a proper replacement since Trent left. They've filled in with players.
"The demands of the modern full-back are different — you have to be able to get forward more and deliver more. More is expected of you in an offensive way."
KIRKBY, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 26: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on February 26, 2026 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)
Last season, Liverpool's defense as a whole was some way off where it needed to be, the $93 million (£69 million) full-backs included. The early signs are, though, that Jeremy Jacquet will be an excellent addition at the back.
"Were they good enough last season? No, they weren't. I think we have to say that," Mills, speaking on behalf of Best Betting Bonuses, continues.
"Are they good enough this season to challenge for the title? I think it'll be a big ask.
"The center-back pair as well has obviously chopped and changed. And Virgil van Dijk, the last couple of seasons, isn't the phenomenal force that he was previously. So again, they need bedding-in time.
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"What is the manager's style? What does he want his full-backs to do? That's the problem. They've obviously had Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold for a long time, incredibly successful, so you're always up against it trying to replace those two.
"But I think Kerkez will come good — a manager that he knows and trusts and has worked with before. Frimpong, I think we just have to wait and see."
With Araujo having done so well up to now in Liverpool's right-back berth, Frimpong's improvement is less of a priority; Iraola can afford for that to be a slower burn.
There would be few bigger boosts than Kerkez finding his top form again, with the side that he showed that most recently for Liverpool's opponents this weekend.