Milos Kerkez proves Alan Shearer’s theory wrong as Liverpool star impresses for Hungary vs Ireland

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Milos Kerkez has endured a slow start to his Liverpool career since his £40 million switch from Bournemouth this summer.

The 21-year-old has started all three of the Reds’ Premier League outings thus far, with each fixture yielding mixed results.

Kerkez impressed Rio Ferdinand after the 1-0 win against Arsenal heading into the international break – the ex-Manchester United man believes the full-back will continue to improve at Anfield.

Although Noni Madueke got the better of Kerkez on several occasions throughout the match, the Hungarian international appeared more like the player who was named in the PFA Team of the Season for the 2024/25 campaign.

Liverpool supporters will undoubtedly be pleased to see Kerkez rediscovering his best form for club and country, and more importantly, hitting back at criticism directed at him by Alan Shearer through his impressive displays.

Milos Kerkez proves Alan Shearer wrong after Hungary display

Shearer said Kerkez was “really poor” during the 3-2 win against Newcastle United and accused the defender of being “too weak” after he was outmuscled by Bruno Guimaraes for the Magpies’ first goal on the night.

Nevertheless, Kerkez responded with a dominant performance against Arsenal, his best in a Liverpool shirt so far, and he has continued his rich vein of form into the national side.

The only thing that prevented Kerkez from producing a complete all-round performance in the 2-2 draw against the Republic of Ireland was a goal contribution, but his overall display was nothing short of phenomenal.

He will face a tough fight throughout the season to retain his starting place under Arne Slot, as his left-back teammate Andy Robertson also impressed for Scotland.

Kerkez has developed a reputation as one of the best attacking full-backs in the Premier League, reminiscent of Robertson during his prime at Anfield, but he will need to iron out his weaknesses to take his game to the next level.

This Liverpool 2.0 side that Slot has created relies heavily on the attacking ability and creative talents in his squad. While the Reds maintain a perfect record at the start of the season, they must become much more solid defensively to truly ensure another title challenge this year.

How did Andy Robertson fare for Scotland?

The 31-year-old has unfortunately reached the stage of his career where he will likely never be a prolonged starter for the Reds again unless Kerkez suffers a long-term injury setback.

Robertson turned down Atletico Madrid in favour of remaining at Anfield this summer, and he will certainly have his part to play as the Reds aim to compete on all fronts this season.

And while his international performance is less impressive than Kerkez’s in comparison to the statistics, Robertson still produced a captain’s display for Scotland.

The Reds have arguably the best depth at the left-back position in the Premier League, and Slot has the luxury of rotating the pair without suffering a dramatic drop-off in quality.