Milos Kerkez makes brutally honest admission over first season struggles at Liverpool

Milos Kerkez has opened up about his struggles to adapt to life at Liverpool during the early part of the season after his arrival from Bournemouth in the summer

Milos Kerkez struggled when he first joined Liverpool

Milos Kerkez has opened up at why he struggled to adapt to life at Liverpool during the early part of the season, stating he starting to slowly understand what it means to play for the Reds.

The Hungarian arrived from Bournemouth in the summer after a season which saw him as one of the Premier League's best left-backs. Kerkez was expected to make a statement in Arne Slot's side and provide competition for Andy Robertson.

However the reality was very different. In his first few appearances Kerkez struggled to find his feet and was prone to making mistakes and rash decisions. It comes after Michael Owen says he is still unconvinced about Kerkez.

The 27-year-old had started to improve in recent weeks and when asked by Sky Sports why he struggled to adapt, the 22-year-old said: “Different style of play and everything was new to me.

“All new teammates and new things that I needed to do. I wanted to do it all at once immediately, you know, and I didn’t take maybe a bit of time to do it slowly.

“I think obviously we came, a few new guys, and all of us started to be in the team immediately. So when you come and four or five new guys come in and start to play, I think you need some time to connect the team and each other.”

Among the new responsibilities for Kerkez is moving into more central positions alongside his winger, rather than staying wide as he often did at Bournemouth. This adjustment has created some difficulties in building a strong connection with left-winger Cody Gakpo.

Early mistakes, combined with Robertson’s status as a club legend and still a very capable full-back, have also added to the pressure on Kerkez.

Milos Kerkez has opened up on his early struggles at Liverpool

The Hungarian is grateful to have Robertson at the club, explaining: “He’s great really. We are really good, you know. It’s good to have him. He’s also good competition I think, because he did it for years.”

Among the other senior members of the squad offering him guidance is Mohamed Salah, with whom he has formed an unlikely friendship. “[He is a] top, top-level player,” Kerkez said of his Egyptian teammate.

“It also motivates you when you see stuff like this (Salah’s trophy cabinet), because what he did, what he’s doing, you just want to work harder and hopefully get some of those (trophies).”

On what he wants to achieve at Liverpool, Kerkez added: “I would like everyone just to remember that I give really 100 percent every time I was on the pitch, because I understand what it is to.

“I start to understand slowly what it means like to wear this badge, to wear this jersey, what it means to people here and a few trophies would be nice. Yeah, I mean trophies, that’s what you always want to play for and that’s what Liverpool is for. I hope a few of those are going to come.”