4 days ago
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Milos Kerkez has revealed the surprising reason he chose the no.6 jersey at Liverpool this season.
The defender joined the Reds from Bournemouth for a fee of £40million ($54M) earlier this transfer window and is one of six senior arrivals in a busy summer so far at Anfield. With several significant outings as well, there were plenty of squad numbers available for the new signings to choose from.
Kerkez wore no.3 at Bournemouth and held the no.5 during his time at AZ Alkmaar, while he has selected no.11 at international level. None of those were free at Liverpool, so he made the unorthodox choice to pick no.6, a shirt primarily worn by midfielders.
Explaining the decision, he said another former Liverpool left-back was his inspiration.
“I have no.6 because of Arne Riiise - and because my brothers chose the number for me,” the Hungary international said ahead of the Community Shield on Sunday.
“I always let my brothers choose the numbers where I go to different teams.
“They were saying no.6 and I knew Riise had worn that number, so I told them that it is a good number to continue.
“I watched a lot of the Premier League when I was growing up,” he added. “I used to watch [Steven] Gerrard, I used to watch Arne Riise, Andy Robertson - and even [Cristiano] Ronaldo when he played.”
Riise held no.6 for four years between 2004 and 2008, and was something of a cult hero at Anfield, particularly for his thunderous left-foot shots.
Kerkez will hope for similar success in his Liverpool career, which could officially get going on Sunday when the Reds face Crystal Palace in the Community Shield.
Asked if he had any jitters at joining such an elite squad, Kerkez replied: "I was never nervous. I was really happy and I couldn't wait to get started.
“The intensity and the quality are higher and there are not many mistakes. When you hear the noise of the passes - boom, boom, boom - it's different.
“It's just the highest level of football and I'm really proud and happy that I'm here. I think I'm fitting in perfectly, so I think this is the best place to be.
“My brothers keep texting me and they're like ‘you're a Liverpool player!’ It's a big thing. Now it's only time to work more and do great stuff with this club.”
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