Liverpool left-back Milos Kerkez on learning from Andy Robertson, Arne Slot’s demands and building bonds
It is easy to forget that Milos Kerkez is still only 21. The Hungarian left-back has already achieved milestones that most players a decade older would envy: a breakout campaign at Bournemouth, a place in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, and a £40 million transfer to Liverpool.
Such a move, for that fee, inevitably brings scrutiny. But if Kerkez is feeling the pressure of being thrown into one of the biggest roles in English football, he hides it well.
“It’s the same for me,” he said after Liverpool’s Merseyside derby win over Everton. “I’m just here to do my job. I want to improve; I want to give everything for the badge. Obviously you have to adapt and the coach and the players are helping me [with that] a lot, so I’m improving a lot every day.”
That willingness to listen, to take instruction, and to shape his game to suit the needs of his new club has made him a quick fit for Arne Slot’s system. Kerkez has started every league game so far this season, only withdrawn early at Burnley after picking up a yellow card. Slot has already placed enormous trust in him.
Kerkez acknowledges that he has been asked to play a very different role at Anfield compared to the one he occupied on the south coast.
“I’m playing a bit different here than [when] I played in Bournemouth but I’m not listening too much to outside noise. I’m just following what the coach is telling me so what he tells me I’m doing every week and that’s what will keep me playing,” he explained.
“Sometimes I’m dropping lower to play and to keep the ball. In Bournemouth, I played I would say a bit more on the higher line and had a bit more freedom. But here, you play more for the team, for points and to win so you have to look for the team. That’s more important than individual performances, so we have to do what the coach tells us and that’s why we’re winning games.”
At Bournemouth, Kerkez often charged forward to stretch the play, tasked with being a constant outlet in attack. At Liverpool, Slot demands more discipline. The full-backs are instructed to manage transitions, recycle possession, and ensure balance a responsibility that requires maturity beyond his years.
The most striking subplot to Kerkez’s rise is the presence of Andy Robertson. The Liverpool vice captain, a modern Liverpool legend, found himself linked with Atletico Madrid in the summer but chose to stay, despite knowing his playing time would diminish. With a year left on his contract, he has had to adapt to a supporting role.
Yet rather than retreat into the background, Robertson has embraced the responsibility of guiding his successor.
“Before the game [against Everton] he motivated me, told me: ‘Go outside and do your thing that you were doing last season’, so he gave me a bit of a push,” Kerkez revealed.
“Then after the game, he congratulated me and told me that I should keep going like that. We are good. He’s a legend who did amazing things, won everything and still has quality. It’s not like he’s not here. He’s a squad player. This is Liverpool, we’re competing. He’s pushing me, I’m pushing him and I think that’s important to have in a big club like this.”
That blend of rivalry and mentorship is exactly what Liverpool’s left side needs. Robertson’s voice in the dressing room remains vital, even if his influence is now more often felt on the training ground than on the pitch.
Robertson is expected to start in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Southampton as Slot rotates heavily likely making 11 changes from the team that beat Everton. But in the Premier League, the baton has already been passed.
Kerkez is also benefiting from the collective process of gelling as a squad. Liverpool’s summer recruitment brought sweeping change, with Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak among those bedding in. For a young player, forging understanding with new teammates in such a competitive environment could easily prove daunting. Instead, Kerkez appears energised.
“With Virgil [van Dijk], I think I’m building a good connection,” he said. “Obviously we are now playing more and I think we are defending well. Everyone is adapting to each other, even Flo (Wirtz) and Alex (Isak) and everyone who arrived so everything needs a bit of time to gel in. Obviously now we’re getting results but I think in the future it’s going to be really, really bright.
“At the end of the day, the result and points are important. Even if the game is sometimes not going our way, we have to continue to win the game. We always find solutions so I hope that continues. We have a lot of big quality players so we have to continue.”
What stands out most is how relaxed Kerkez appears about his situation. Many young players might shrink under the glare of Anfield and the expectation of following in Robertson’s footsteps. Instead, Kerkez frames his opportunity in simple terms: listen, learn, and deliver.
It is that clarity which is earning him the faith of Slot, the respect of senior teammates, and the approval of supporters. Liverpool knew they were buying potential when they invested so heavily in him. Already, though, Kerkez is looking less like a gamble and more like a cornerstone.
