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Paul Scholes is the latest soccer pundit to level criticism at Liverpool defender Milos Kerkez, who has endured a difficult start to his Reds career.
Kerkez joined Liverpool from Bournemouth during the summer transfer window and has started each of the team's Premier League games so far this season. The 21-year-old has had some chastening outings since the start of the season, most recently struggling in Sunday's 2-1 defeat by Manchester United at Anfield.
Kerkez's performances against Burnley, Crystal Palace and Chelsea earlier in the season also prompted criticism, but it was after the loss to United that former Manchester United captain Gary Neville really stuck the boot into the Hungarian full-back.
"I think the individual performances of Liverpool's defenders were really poor," Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast. "The left back hasn’t settled in. He plays like a 10 year old; he is all over the place."
Neville's comments came after former Liverpool star Jamie Redknapp also questioned the Hungarian's ability to deal with a dangerous United attack.
"Kerkez is very nervous," Jamie Redknapp said at half-time. "He's like a nervous wreck out there. I feel for him. It's almost a bit too much for him.
"The game is happening a bit too fast and Amad Diallo is causing him problems. Like you've mentioned, with Bryan Mbeumo and [Matheus] Cunha they've gone for a different approach with a bit more pace."
The latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast featured plenty of analysis of Liverpool, and Scholes – making an appearance in the absence of Jamie Carragher – gave his verdict on Liverpool's defensive issues, also likening Kerkez to a child.
"The full backs are really struggling," Scholes said. "Frimpong is a winger really, or a wing back, not a full back. The left back looks like a kid playing against men at times."
Kerkez was benched for Andy Robertson on Wednesday as Liverpool ended a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 win over Frankfurt in the Champions League.
Speaking after the game, Robertson said that the players had come together to discuss how they planned to get the team's form back on track.
"We've all spoken, all said what we had to say and training has been good since then (the loss to United)," Robertson said. "We just tried to take that into [this game against Frankfurt], played with confidence and tried to clear our heads. I think you have seen a lot of players doing that and thankfully we got a positive result because of that."
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