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Milos Kerkez endured a nightmare afternoon against Burnley as the Liverpool defender was hauled off after merely 38 minutes by Arne Slot.
The Hungarian had been cautioned midway through the opening period for simulation - prompting the Reds' manager to act decisively in substituting the left-back following a subsequent foul.
Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher branded the defender as 'absolutely stupid' during his Sky Sports commentary following the incident, whilst Slot would later concede that the $54 million summer acquisition was 'not smart' for his theatrics. Kerkez was spotted having a brief discussion with Slot on the touchline after being substituted.
The Dutchman subsequently disclosed that the defender had insisted he felt contact before tumbling to the turf.
"I said already to him that it wasn't smart," he said. "He replied to me that he felt some arm in his back. But let's be clear, it wasn't a penalty!"
Andy Robertson came on for Kerkez against Burnley, and is now favourably positioned to start ahead of the Hungarian against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
The Scotland captain jumped to his new colleague's defense at Turf Moor, though acknowledged his desire to regain his starting position.
Kerkez appeared dejected as he departed Turf Moor through the mixed zone on Sunday afternoon following his latest Liverpool appearance being cut short. In a contrasting scene, Mohamed Salah, who was leaving alongside the defender, couldn't help but flash a broad grin as he strolled past journalists interviewing Alisson Becker, fully aware that he wouldn't be the subject of any queries.
Meanwhile, Salah didn't miss the chance to have a bit of a laugh at the defender's expense during their trip back to Merseyside.
Kerkez dozed off on the Reds' journey home, and Salah promptly snapped a photo of the snoozing Hungarian and posted it on his Instagram story.
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Salah netted a 95th-minute penalty winner for Liverpool against Burnley, but his day's work didn't end there.
Just hours after his goal, the 33-year-old was back at home, pedalling away on his aqua bike. He shared a brief video of his pool workout, followed by a selfie.
So far this season, Salah has bagged two goals and provided an assist in four Premier League matches, helping propel the Reds to the top of the table with a flawless winning record.
However, despite such impressive stats, both Liverpool and the Egyptian ace are still searching for their peak form.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
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