For those who have followed Milos Kerkez’s journey from the streets of Serbia to Liverpool, the ‘not smart’ dive that saw him hauled off in frustration by Arne Slot on Sunday came as no surprise – and not just because he had childhood ambitions of being a professional swimmer!
Former colleagues have told Daily Mail Sport that Kerkez, 21, was let go by Rapid Vienna as a teenager for ‘behavioural issues’ and the fact he was ‘hard to manage’, while former Hungary international Adam Bogdan described him as ‘like a young horse, kicking everything’.
These sentiments sound like a character assassination when taken out of context but they were all intended to highlight how the Liverpool left back is a passionate soul who wears his heart on his sleeve.
And the other references, which we will come on to, demonstrate that despite Kerkez being an emotional player who may look like a red card magnet, the Hungary international has made a career of proving people wrong and is as mentally resilient as they come.
Slot, who hauled off the new man in the 38th minute of the 1-0 win at Burnley, may not have complete trust just yet but others do, not least sporting director Richard Hughes, who signed Kerkez at both former club Bournemouth and now Liverpool. Heading into a pivotal week in which the Reds begin their Champions League campaign against Atletico Madrid and then have just two days to prepare for a Merseyside Derby against in-form neighbours Everton, though, the battle for supremacy at left back for Liverpool is wide open.
Does Slot go with his tried-and-trusted option in experienced vice-captain Andy Robertson, 31, against Diego Simeone’s dark-art masters and David Moyes’s free-flowing attack – or does he keep faith in the man who has started all four league games so far in Kerkez?
Milos Kerkez dives against Burnley on Sunday, an offence which saw him booked
Liverpool boss Arne Slot then decided to take Kerkez off for Andy Robertson in just the 38th minute
Slot explains his reasons for making the early change to a disappointed Kerkez
Looking at the data, the two are well-matched. Kerkez’s per-game statistics this year show he is better than Robertson at defensive duels and tackles (compared to Robertson’s numbers per 90 minutes from last season), though the Scotsman is ahead in attacking metrics.
Slot is ruthless and all of his decisions are fuelled by a desire for results but the last player he took off for tactical reasons so early in a match was Jarell Quansah, in the league opener last year against Ipswich Town. The defender, who was being bullied in that game, is no longer at the club, for the record.
There is also the sub-plot that, if things had gone ever so slightly differently in June, Robertson would be lining up as an Atletico player in this game. The Madrid giants were confident of signing the Scottish captain in the summer after talks – but ultimately a deal was never struck.
Kerkez was hauled off against Burnley because, as Slot told the player, he worried he was about to get sent off after picking up a yellow card for simulation in what was a poor dive looking for a penalty. Breaking down Scott Parker’s stubborn, well-drilled low block was hard enough with 11 men, let alone with 10.
The first month of Kerkez’s Liverpool career is best described, therefore, as one of mixed reviews. Defensively poor (although so was everyone) in wins over Bournemouth and Newcastle, incredibly solid against Arsenal and then shaky again at Turf Moor.
‘When he first came into the national team, he brought the place alive, made a lot of jokes, and made it fun to be in the building,’ Bogdan, the former Liverpool and Hungary goalkeeper, tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘My friends at AZ Alkmaar (Kerkez’s former club) absolutely adored him, the work-rate, the effort. At his local team in Hungary, Gyor, they tell me he was like a “young horse”, kicking everybody but with sheer commitment and liveliness!
‘If you look around Europe at left backs in terms of the ability to bomb forward but also defend one-on-one, he has proven that, coupled with his mentality, he is absolutely top class. He is so eager and self-assured that he belongs at the top.
‘Milos is just a good lad. But he is not the sort to come into a building and be quiet for the first half of the season. He will settle in straight away. He is going to be a really good match with Robertson. He is eager to learn, that combination is something to be really happy with.
Kerkez celebrates with his friend Dominik Szoboszlai, who was a major factor in his Hungary team-mate joining Liverpool
Kerkez battles with Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth on a tricky night for the full back
‘I spoke to Milos, he is very polite, very clear in his mind, knows how much he has sacrificed and put in to get where he is.
‘He is a super fun guy, it is always nice to have him around, and he has the self-confidence which is absolutely vital at a top team with these pressures.’
That last bit is key. He has the self-belief to get over this so-called setback, and Kerkez will have learned that every minor slip-up is micro-analysed to the nth degree at a club this size.
With respect to Bournemouth and AZ Alkmaar, at those sides it would have been forgotten about by 5pm that day.
There is also the fact that Kerkez is still only 21, as Robertson himself was at pains to point out on Sunday, saying: ‘All the new signings are young but have incredible potential and they are the future of the club. He will be the starting left back for Liverpool in the future.
‘It’s up to me to push him this season and help him improve. He has a fantastic future ahead of him and he just needs to keep working hard and not let it affect him, which it won’t as he’s a confident lad.
‘I’ll help him as much as I can but I do want to play games!’
Off the pitch, Kerkez has a strong family behind him and loves spending time with his dogs, while his parents lived with him in Poole before his move up north. His brother, Marko, plays football in the Dutch top flight.
Burnley players protest after Kerkez falls to the floor in search of a penalty at Turf Moor
Kerkez sees eye to eye with Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon earlier this season
His best friend in football is Dominik Szoboszlai, the Hungary captain, which was a big factor in his decision to choose Liverpool over the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United, who both showed interest this summer.
Even if what happened on Sunday was perceived as a bump in the road for Kerkez, his team-mates do not think so, with Virgil van Dijk saying on Tuesday: ‘Milos is a fantastic, aggressive, full-of-energy player who is learning the way of how we play and the intensity.
‘He is dealing with how it is off the pitch, which is not easy. He is going to be fine.’
Asked how reacted to the substitution, Slot added: ‘In the team meetings they never disagree with me but maybe when they are talking to their father or their girlfriend they may say “what a stupid decision!”.
‘I highlighted when he made a foul, six of their players went over to the referee and the referee waved his arms so for me that combination (was the reason for the substitution).
‘He (Kerkez) said he understood but I don’t know what he says to his friends!’
Kerkez has started every league game for Liverpool this season since his £40m move from Bournemouth
But Liverpool legend Robertson (left) will offer stiff competition to the Hungarian at left back
Kerkez, who was born in Serbia but plays for Hungary at the request of his grandmother, sacrificed a lot in his youth career and once told a Budapest newspaper: ‘No two faces. How I am on the pitch is how I am outside of it. I am not pretending to be something.
‘I live simply. I would rather go home for my vacation and be with family or friends in my hometown than travel to Ibiza.
‘Always remember where you’ve come from, don’t change, just get on with it and stay humble. That is what my dad says.’
This mentality is why Liverpool splashed the cash on the so-called ‘young horse’ and one-time wannabe Michael Phelps – and it is why Kerkez believes he can wrest the No 1 left-back spot from Robertson, one of the best in the league’s history.
