Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has criticised the club's summer transfer business, arguing that Liverpool failed to adequately reinforce their full-back positions and now face a problem in defence just two games into the new season.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Carragher was particularly scathing about the performances of both full-backs, describing their reading of the game as "really, really poor." He drew a striking comparison between Hungarian left-back Milos Kerkez and Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, suggesting the pair share a similar all-out, high-intensity approach that sometimes lacks control.
"You're watching the game and thinking, 'Why has he done that?'" Carragher said. "I described Kerkez last season - and it was his first season, maybe it was a bit harsh at the time - he's the Darwin Nunez of full-backs. It's just like 'head down and run', everything Kerkez does is 100 miles an hour. You know, when you're on a football pitch, you're very rarely running as fast as you can but he does everything 100 miles an hour - every time he closes someone down, he passes it - bang!"
Despite his concerns, Carragher does not believe Liverpool should move on from Kerkez, who joined the club for a reported £40 million fee last summer. He pointed to the player's inexperience and the presence of a familiar face on the coaching staff as reasons for patience.
"They've brought in Kerkez for £40million. He's had his first season, it wasn't amazing, but right, you go: 'OK, Iraola's come in from Bournemouth, he knows him, he's still our left-back,'" Carragher explained. "He's our left-back, let him have another year."
The former England international was far less forgiving when it came to the right-back situation, however. With Conor Bradley currently out with a knee injury, Carragher does not see the young Northern Irishman as a long-term solution to replace Jeremie Frimpong, who arrived at Anfield last summer but has struggled to convince in his early appearances for the club.
"Unfortunately I don't think we should be waiting for Conor Bradley to come back. You go and buy a right-back because Frimpong isn't one," Carragher said bluntly.
Carragher acknowledged that Frimpong's underwhelming form during his debut Premier League campaign might have been attributed to an adjustment period, having arrived from Bayer Leverkusen where he built his reputation in Germany's top flight. But after watching Liverpool's opening two matches of the new season, the Sky Sports pundit believes the time for patience has run out.
"He had a terrible first season but then I thought he needs to adapt to the Premier League first," Carragher added. "But after watching this season's first two matches, Liverpool needs to sell him and bring in a new right back."
The comments will add further scrutiny on Liverpool's defensive options as the Premier League champions look to build on their title-winning campaign. With Bradley sidelined and question marks now hanging over both starting full-backs, pressure could mount on the club's hierarchy to consider reinforcements in the full-back areas before the transfer window closes, according to Carragher's assessment.
Whether Liverpool's management shares Carragher's concerns remains to be seen, but the former defender's blunt verdict on Frimpong in particular is likely to spark debate among supporters who had hoped the Dutch-born full-back would settle quickly into Arne Slot's system this term.
Based on reporting from standard-football.