‘He was like a young horse’ – Ex-Liverpool goalkeeper shares vivid insight on current Reds ace | OneFootball

A former Liverpool goalkeeper has jumped to the defence of a current Reds player who’s borne the brunt of some recent criticism.

While the Premier League champions maintained their 100% start to the top-flight season with a last-gasp win at Burnley on Sunday, it wasn’t an enjoyable day for Milos Kerkez, who was booked for simulation in the first half and substituted by Arne Slot after just 38 minutes.

Jamie Carragher was raging over the ‘absolutely stupid‘ manner in which the 21-year-old earned that yellow card, while ex-Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown warned that the ex-Bournemouth youngster could lose his starting berth and ‘struggle to get back into the team‘.

However, ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Adam Bogdan is adamant that his fellow Hungarian is a ‘top-class’ defender with a vibrant personality behind the scenes and the right combination of humility and determination to succees at Anfield.

(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Bogdan shares insight on ‘young horse’ Kerkez

Speaking to Mail Sport, the 37-year-old said: “My friends at AZ Alkmaar [Kerkez’s former club] absolutely adored him, the work-rate, the effort. At his local team in Hungary, Gyor, they tell me he was like a ‘young horse’, kicking everybody but with sheer commitment and liveliness!

“If you look around Europe at left backs in terms of the ability to bomb forward but also defend one-on-one, he has proven that, coupled with his mentality, he is absolutely top-class. He is so eager and self-assured that he belongs at the top.

“Milos is just a good lad, but he is not the sort to come into a building and be quiet for the first half of the season. He will settle in straight away. He is going to be a really good match with Robertson. He is eager to learn, that combination is something to be really happy with.

“I spoke to Milos – he is very polite, very clear in his mind, knows how much he has sacrificed and put in to get where he is. He is a super fun guy, it is always nice to have him around, and he has the self-confidence which is absolutely vital at a top team with these pressures.”

(Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)

Kerkez will play a vital role for Liverpool this season

Kerkez was silly in picking up a deserved yellow card for simulation at Turf Moor and ran the risk of receiving another for a collision with Jaidon Anthony, so Slot made a sensible albeit ruthless decision to withdraw Liverpool’s number 6 in place of Andy Robertson before half-time.

However, Bogdan’s testimony would suggest that the 21-year-old has the requisite mindset to put that difficult afternoon behind him quickly and focus on delivering strong performances in the Reds’ upcoming games.

We shouldn’t forget how superbly he played up against Noni Madueke at Anfield recently, which is no mean feat considering the Arsenal winger’s form of late.

Slot might opt for the experience of Robertson against dark-arts masters Atletico Madrid tonight, but we don’t envisage Kerkez being jettisoned in the longer-term just because of a tough day out against Burnley.

Both left-backs will play a vital part for Liverpool over the course of a hectic season in which the Reds will battle on four fronts and seek to win multiple trophies.

Also, it must be remembered that it took the Scot some time to settle in on Merseyside before establishing himself as one of the world’s best players in his position, so who’s to say that the young Hungarian won’t do the same over the next few years?

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