Arne Slot didn’t even wait for the halftime interval to remove Milos Kerkez from the firing line during Liverpool’s Premier League trip to Burnley on Sunday afternoon.
There was no sign of injury as the 21-year-old sheepishly made his way off the pitch in the 38th minute while the game was still goalless. Instead, Kerkez seemed to have been saved from himself after picking up an early yellow card for simulation.
Out of the sprawling list of Liverpool’s summer signings, Kerkez was expected to enjoy the most seamless adaptation.
The energetic Hungary international had spent two years adapting to the Premier League at Bournemouth and thrived in the full-throttle system deployed by Andoni Iraola. While the likes of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Jeremie Frimpong would theoretically need time to get used to a new country and league, Kerkez was billed to be a plug-in-and-play option.
It has not been so straightforward.
Kerkez endured a chastening home debut for Liverpool against his former employers Bournemouth on the opening weekend of the new campaign, regularly finding himself in a one-on-one duel with Antoine Semenyo which he routinely lost. Slot admitted that his £40 million ($54.9 million) signing was subbed on the hour mark to remove the risk of getting a red card.
Slot reacted even more quickly at Turf Moor. Less than 38 minutes had elapsed by the time Andy Robertson replaced Kerkez. The Scot almost immediately justified his inclusion after breaking into the box and firing a low shot at Burnley’s Martin Dúbravka.
Kerkez had been booked in the 22nd minute for a shameless dive inside the opposition box, tumbling unconvincingly in front of Josh Laurent as the ball trundled out of play. The front-foot defender was promptly penalised for a foul. Turf Moor demanded a second yellow which didn’t come although Slot clearly thought another may have been on the way.
After hauling him over the side of the pitch, Liverpool’s manager gave Kerkez a customary high-five before exchanging what looked to be a stern set of words.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool’s Milos Kerkez Humiliatingly Hooked After Disaster 38 Minutes.