Liverpool duo sent strong message as Sunderland comparison made - 'they have to stop'

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SportFootballLiverpool FCLiverpool legend John Barnes has sent a message to Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong for next seasonLiverpool legend John Barnes believes Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong should shake off the shackles of Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold next season.Kerkez and Frimpong were bought for a combined £69million last summer as the Reds looked to revamp their full-back positions with left-back Robertson approaching the last 12 months of his contract and right-back Alexander-Arnold having joined Real Madrid.Both Robertson and Alexander-Arnold were key figures in Liverpool's success under Jurgen Klopp and the title triumph during the debut season of the now sacked Arne Slot last year.Kerkez took time to settle at Anfield while Frimpong saw his season hampered by injuries, a loss of form and an inability to nail down a regular starting position having spent time on the right wing.Robertson has now followed Alexander-Arnold through the exit. And with Liverpool having conceded their highest tally of goals this season in a 38-game Premier League campaign, Barnes is convinced the duo need to go back to basics and concentrate on their defensive play in the new term.“With Milos Kerkez, let’s start improving and getting better before thinking about the long-term," he said.

"He has the potential to do that, but I think what needs to happen for himself and Jeremie Frimpong is that they need to just focus on being full-backs."Kerkez just seems to be getting forward all the time and attacking, but they’re both young and inexperienced.“If you look at what Sunderland did, they changed their whole team, whereas what (Liverpool) have done is add five new players to play with six existing players, so to get that blend and balance can take a bit of time."Speaking to Betfred, Barnes added: “For both Frimpong and Kerkez, they have to stop feeling that they’re replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson."I’m not saying that they necessarily feel that way, but they’re playing that way by being all attack, attack, attack because as a unit we need to be stronger defensively.”Choose Liverpool Echo as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Liverpool FC