Jamie Carragher makes brutal Milos Kerkez claim as Liverpool and Fulham draw | Football

Jamie Carragher made a brutal claim over left-back Milos Kerkez on Sunday as Liverpool were held to a 2-2 Premier League draw by Fulham.

Harry Wilson handed Fulham the lead in the first half before Florian Wirtz levelled things up for the Reds just before the hour mark in west London.

Cody Gakpo netted in the 94th minute in what looked to be a Liverpool winner, only for Harrison Reed to equalise with just seconds remaining.

Kerkez faced criticism from Sky Sports pundit Kris Boyd after the match but it was before kick-off that ex-Liverpool defender Carragher ripped into the former Bournemouth star, savagely comparing him to Darwin Nunez.

Nunez, who largely failed to live up to expectations at Anfield and was sold to Al-Hilal in August, plays in a completely different position to Hungary international left-back Kerkez with the Uruguayan operating as a forward.

But Carragher has claimed that watching Kerkez is ‘like having Darwin Nunez at left-back’ as he told the 22-year-old summer signing that he needs to improve during the second half of the season at Liverpool.

Quizzed if rotation with Andy Robertson had been good for Kerkez, Carragher told Sky Sports: ‘No, but I think it’s working for Liverpool in that I don’t think he should be playing every week.

‘You’ve got too good a player in Andy Robertson who needs to play games as well.

‘I think when Andy Robertson’s played, he hasn’t played as much as Kerkez, I think you’d probably say Andy Robertson’s performances have been better than Kerkez’s.

‘He’s found it tough, it’s been a struggle for him. He’s a young man, but he will have to improve in the second half of the season, there’s no doubt about that.’

Carragher added: ‘It’s funny watching [Kerkez] play. I always remember speaking about Trent Alexander-Arnold, who Liverpool have missed enormously of course, and said it’s like having Kevin De Bruyne at right-back.

‘Sometimes when you watch Kerkez, it’s like having Darwin Nunez at left-back, it’s just a bit mad.

Prefer us to the others? Then tell Google!

As a loyal Metro reader, we want to make sure you never miss our stories when searching for your news. Whether it is the latest politics news explained, live football coverage or a showbiz scoop.

Click here and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.

‘There’s no real thought process, what’s he doing with the ball, how’s he connecting with other players, it’s just head down, run. He never gets his head up and actually plays passes.’

Some Liverpool supporters slammed Carragher on social media for his comments about Kerkez with one fan, @_RL_1892, posting on X: ‘The way Carragher is talking about Kerkez here is ridiculous… He’s been sound for over a month now and arguably our best player in a couple of games.’

A second supporter, @TheImmortalKop, added: ‘Carragher insulting Kerkez and Darwin Nunez (a Premier League winner btw). The guy [has] become an absolute weirdo recently.’

Prior to draw with Fulham, it could be argued that Kerkez’s performances had improved in recent weeks but the left-back once again faced criticism after the result at Craven Cottage.

Football pundit Boyd said: ‘A lot of times Kerkez ran down the left-hand side [against Fulham] and his final ball was not good enough.

‘He’s definitely not hit the heights he did last season at Bournemouth. He’s going to have to get used to the demands and pressure of playing at a football club that has to win every game.’

MORE: Next Man Utd manager odds as Ruben Amorim hints at Old Trafford exit

MORE: Michael Owen criticises ‘lackadaisical’ Man Utd star after Leeds United draw

MORE: Who is Calum McFarlane? Chelsea interim manager in charge for Man City clash