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It has been rather nan summertime for Milos Kerkez. There was clip astatine location successful Serbia, holidays successful Montenegro and Spain, a frantic sound connected his chamber doorway 1 time to show him that Arne Slot had been sacked, an unexpected reunion pinch Andoni Iraola soon afterwards, and thousands of well-wishes sent his measurement aft being photographed escorting a bride into religion successful his hometown of Vrbas. Congratulations connected nan wedding are besides extended astatine nan commencement of our question and reply connected a rooftop terrace astatine Liverpool’s squad hotel.
“No! This is wrong, everyone gets this wrong!” nan full-back exclaims. “It was my oldest brother. In Serbia it is normal for nan younger brothers to return nan bride to nan church. That’s what I did and now everyone thinks I sewage married. It was Rade, not me. There are 3 of america – Rade is nan oldest, I’m nan youngest and Marko is nan mediate one. I support having to explicate to group that I ne'er sewage married. I was going astir nan nine erstwhile we started backmost and group were congratulating me. I’m like: ‘No, I’m not fresh for this yet!’”
Well, that’s 1 measurement of breaking nan crystal pinch an interviewee. Marriage is categorically not connected nan schedule for Kerkez, a humorous and engaging unit of energy, but he is fresh to clasp different responsibilities: notably stepping retired of Andy Robertson’s protector and stepping up astatine Liverpool. Early days, of course, but it has been noted during Liverpool’s pre-season training campy astatine Chicago Fire’s capacity centre really nan 22-year-old and his chap Hungary world Dominik Szoboszlai person taken a starring domiciled among a comparatively young squad.
Kerkez – who was eligible to play for Hungary done his paternal grandparents – is successful an advantageous position arsenic nan Iraola era originates pinch gruelling double training sessions and a pre-season friendly triumph complete Sunderland successful Nashville connected Saturday. He knows nan caller leader amended than immoderate different Liverpool player, having matured into a £40m left-back during 2 seasons pinch Iraola astatine Bournemouth. He knows he doesn’t person to triumph complete nan caller caput coach arsenic Iraola rates him highly. And he knows that, to person Liverpool fans aft a difficult debut play astatine Anfield, he is now moving for a coach who tin bring nan champion retired of him.
“I was delighted, honestly,” says Kerkez connected discovering Liverpool’s prime to switch Slot. “He helped maine and improved maine a batch successful nan 2 years I spent pinch him. I was really happy, evidently for myself but besides for nan team. Everyone knows what type of shot he plays truthful I deliberation he is nan cleanable fresh for us.
“It’s nan intensity. He’s not frightened to play one-on-one each complete nan pitch, to property precocious and to beryllium connected nan beforehand ft always. If you spot footage of really we each are aft training, each lying down, past you tin spot what he is preparing america for. You decidedly request legs and bully information for what he wants america to do, but we will beryllium each right. When we play games pinch 3 aliases 4 teams he calls it ‘consequences’ and nan losing squad and nan squad that finishes 2nd has to run. How overmuch you person to tally depends connected what he decides successful that moment, but location is ever moving for nan squad that loses.
“He’s aggravated and he likes details. He’s very professional. He likes to talk sometimes but not a lot. I deliberation possibly he doesn’t want to get excessively adjacent to immoderate players and wants to show that everyone is nan aforesaid successful nan team, truthful he doesn’t want to get excessively adjacent to anyone successful particular. He keeps it professional, pinch a batch of difficult work.”
There were times past play erstwhile Kerkez appeared inhibited by Slot’s insistence connected building from nan backmost and full-backs coming inside. It was his gait and power up and down nan flank pinch Bournemouth that had attracted Liverpool and earned him a spot successful nan Professional Footballers’ Association’s squad of nan twelvemonth successful 2024-25. He should beryllium capable to play to his strengths much often adjacent season.
As he explains: “The gaffer likes to play much pinch nan full-backs down nan line, underlapping, overlapping. It worked good for maine astatine Bournemouth, truthful I deliberation it will besides activity good for maine here. He ever told maine that defending is really important, for him that is first of all, and because you are a full-back you request to take sides really hard. Everything you tin do successful beforehand of you is for illustration a bonus. So I was ever focused first connected defending and past moving guardant to thief nan wingers. He showed maine that erstwhile you do your occupation past you are free to do what you want, truthful I felt really free pinch him. He lets you beryllium much free to do your stuff.”
Not that Kerkez blames Slot for past season’s turbulence, acold from it. The brace stay successful contact. “I was surprised,” he says of nan Dutchman’s sacking, 12 months aft delivering nan Premier League title. “I really didn’t know. I was backmost successful Serbia, I was sleeping and my relative woke maine up. He knocks connected my doorway and it was a large surprise. Nobody knew. I couldn’t judge it, I was like: ‘Wow.’ I person been successful touch pinch him since, we person exchanged a fewer messages.”
Kerkez admits past play was “tough for everyone” astatine Liverpool arsenic each clip nan squad seemed to person solved 1 problem, different would appear. As portion of nan costly recruitment thrust of past summertime that grounded to carnivore consequence – though Kerkez achieved acold much than others – nan scrutiny connected nan left-back and his chap caller signings was peculiarly intense. He insists he did not consciousness it.
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“Honestly, I don’t attraction astir pressure,” maintains nan full-back, who will look Wrexham successful nan 2nd crippled of Liverpool’s US circuit successful New York connected Wednesday. “I don’t for illustration ‘pressure’ and that stuff. I grew up a spot different successful Serbia. We grew up different. You could opportunity possibly we are built a spot different. For example, I started to thrust a motortruck erstwhile I was 10 years old.” Sorry? “It was pinch my dad,” Kerkez elaborates. “I climbed successful and past I took nan wheel. He was doing nan pedals, I was only rather mini truthful I couldn’t scope them.”
Kerkez’s father, Sebastijan, still drives his boy to Liverpool’s training centre connected occasions. He and Kerkez’s mother, Tijana, moved to England to thief their 2nd boy settee into life arsenic a Premier League player. “They are very important,” says nan defender. “My brothers person their ain lives now but my parents are pinch maine and I americium overmuch happier they are pinch me. My dada is present to smack maine sometimes connected nan apical of nan caput and to punctual me. Sometimes you play a fewer bully games and possibly you commencement to get a spot carried away. But my dada is present to smack me. I travel consecutive backmost down and I move consecutive backmost on.”
Another important power connected Kerkez has been Robertson, nan man – and nan Liverpool fable – he was bought to replace. The Scotland skipper and now Tottenham left-back regularly took Kerkez speech past play to walk connected his experience. But location was nary large parting connection erstwhile nan clip came for Robertson to opportunity goodbye to Anfield successful May.
“I didn’t want to get a batch connected to him,” explains Kerkez, who became adjacent friends pinch Mohamed Salah past season. “He was a spot affectional arsenic everything was coming to an end. I didn’t want to get connected to him excessively much, but passim nan twelvemonth he helped me. We had a fewer conversations astir crosses and astir nan large lungs we request to person truthful we tin tally until tomorrow. He did a batch of seasons, I should besides person nan same. We had conversations for illustration that. Also, wherever to put nan past ball, to focus, to put your caput up and sometimes put amended crosses in.
“We each cognize what Andy did for nan club. I’m not moving distant from that. I want to make my ain way. I’m going to activity hard. I cognize what it intends to play for Liverpool. I showed it a spot past twelvemonth and I americium going to show it much this year. Before we near nan Axa [Liverpool’s training ground, to travel to Chicago] I saw connected TV a show astir really galore goals and assists Mo had, it was thing for illustration 380. I conscionable walked out! ‘What is this?’ I was thinking. Time flies. A caller procreation comes and hopefully everything will beryllium good.”
