Milos Kerkez has been under plenty of scrutiny since he joined Liverpool at the start of the summer transfer window.
At the end of last season, it was evident that the Reds needed to upgrade their back four, with the left-back an area of priority.
This was made clear by Arne Slot after he chose to spend a whopping £45million on Kerkez.
Milos Kerkez of Liverpool crosses the ball during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Indeed, he did put in the best performance of his career last season, but due to the massive step-up from Bournemouth to Liverpool, things haven’t gone quite to plan.
Gael Clichy lauds Milos Kerkez for his performance against Noni Madueke
Fortunately for Liverpool, Bukayo Saka was ruled out of their clash against Mikel Arteta’s men, which meant that Noni Madueke was the player on the right wing for Arsenal.
And, while he did try and cause the Hungarian a few problems and was arguably the Gunners’ best attacker, Kerkez stood his ground and stopped his attacks from making a difference.
Speaking live on the Premier League website, former Manchester City defender Gael Clichy gave his thoughts on the full-back’s performance.
“I think it’s a good one [battle with Madueke], he has done really well,” he said.
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“His positioning on the long balls should be a bit closer. He’s got a very low gravity centre, he’s not getting beaten often. He’s doing so well.
“This is what we’ll get from Arsenal, they’ll try to isolate the star players, it’s not always so much about who is better tactically, but who can be the difference.”
Milos Kerkez still has plenty of time to become a world-class player for Liverpool
Seeing as though Kerkez is still only 21 years old, there’s still plenty of room for him to grow as a player.
As mentioned, the step-up from Bournemouth to Liverpool is no joke, and although he’s had plenty of Premier League experience, there’s a lot more pressure on players who play for clubs the size of the Reds.
And, to make matters worse, the left-back is one of many new signings that still need time to gel with one another.
Noni Madueke of Arsenal is challenged by Milos Kerkez of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield.
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Of course, the fact that Kerkez has managed to prove Jamie Carragher wrong after he called him an “aggressive” player will also help boost his confidence, but in reality, he just needs time.
Only time will tell what the future has in store, but if Kerkez keeps his performance levels this high for the rest of the campaign, the Reds could be onto a winner.