Troy Deeney says £40m player is simply under too much pressure at Liverpool
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Liverpool may have won all of their league games so far, but not every player has performed as well as they can.
Reds fans will be feeling very mixed emotions after their first four matches of the season, as they have four wins, but performances have not been pretty nor convincing.
Last-gasp winners in all of their games so far have spared their blushes, but the biggest concern will be that many of their players have not really shown up just yet.
There is one in particular who has struggled more than most, with his performances a cause for real concern.
And, Troy Deeney believes that the weight of the Liverpool shirt might be too heavy for him, with the pressure he is under causing him to crumble.
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The Reds have pulled off some extraordinary transfer business this summer, but one deal that has perhaps gone under the radar is that of Milos Kerkez.
Just because he cost significantly less than a lot of other players who Liverpool have signed, many have forgotten just how much of an exciting signing he is.
At just 21, Kerkez excelled at Bournemouth and turned out to be one of the most eye-catching full-backs in the league, hence why the Reds were so keen to snap him up.
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However, he has found adapting to life at Liverpool a little harder than he would have thought, with his performances a long way off what they were last season.
And, Deeney thinks the reason for this is because of how much pressure is on his shoulders, with representing Liverpool football club a big step up.
“The first couple of games, the shirt’s been too heavy for Kerkez and he’s just getting used to being at a big club, a massive club in comparison and with respect to Bournemouth,” Deeney said on his TikTok.
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“You’ve got to raise your level.
We are coming up to Champions League this week, raise your level!
“I think Andy Robertson being in there will be going ‘come on there young boy, this is how it is, this is the standard, settle yourself down and get used to it.’”
There is no doubting that Kerkez is a quality player, all he needs is a little bit more time to settle down.
Being substituted before half-time against Burnley certainly will not have helped, but as seen with Jarell Quansah last season, it is possible to come back even stronger after an event like this.
And, Andy Robertson is the perfect example of how a player just needs time, as he too struggled to adapt when first arriving at Anfield.
But, after a spell out of the side, he was able to watch and learn, with this something that made him a much better footballer.
Kerkez can now learn off Robertson as he has been there all before, with the Hungarian able to grow a lot under the guidance of a player who has been at the very top for so many years.