Many footballers proclaim to be delighted at getting back to training when they return for pre-season. In the case of Milos Kerkez, it seems like he truly meant it.
The Hungarian carved out a regular starting berth in Liverpool’s starting XI last term in his first year at the club, often being preferred over the long-serving Andy Robertson, who’d held down the left-back berth almost exclusively for the best part of eight years.
It’s now the returning Kostas Tsimikas who’ll provide the main competition for the 22-year-old’s place in the team, and the Reds’ number 6 has been reunited with his former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola on Merseyside.
Kerkez was among the Liverpool first-team players who reported for duty at the AXA Training Centre on Tuesday to begin pre-season preparations, and the defender had seemingly been counting down the days until he returned to the Kirkby facility.
He told liverpoolfc.com: “I’m really happy to be back. I think vacation was a bit too long for me, to be honest!
“I missed training, I missed the ball, so I’m really happy to be here. I got a lot of time to see family and everyone, to enjoy some time [off], but like I said, I was feeling like after three weeks probably that I need training back, football back. I need to be back in Liverpool.
“Yes, I was training there and now it’s really good to see the players and everyone here with positive energy. We are focused and working towards the new season.”
Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
Having last played for Hungary on 5 June, Kerkez had five-and-a-half weeks off before his return to training yesterday, part of which he spent celebrating the wedding of his brother Rade in the Serbian town of Vrbas, where he was born (Blikk).
Liverpool fans will love hearing the 22-year-old’s determination to get back to work following a prolonged summer break, particularly when several of his teammates are currently holidaying after their involvement at the World Cup.
The left-back had to endure criticism from the likes of Micah Richards and Michael Owen during his first season with the Reds, but it’s no mean feat to displace someone of Robertson’s standing and make 48 appearances in total, starting 34 times in the Premier League and Champions League (Transfermarkt).
It was under Iraola that Kerkez had the best season of his career to date, being nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award for his performances at Bournemouth in 2024/25, so our new head coach clearly knows how to get the best out of the Hungarian.
It was understandable that the youngster had some rough edges to try and iron out during his first season at Liverpool. Now that he’s had that year on Merseyside, hopefully he can kick on and perform to a consistently high level throughout the upcoming campaign.
One thing is clear from his comments about being back at training – his commitment to the job cannot be faulted!
Welcome to our Live Comments section, where new comments will appear automatically
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Notify me of follow-up comments by email.
Notify me of new posts by email.
