The making of Milos Kerkez: Liverpool's new 'young horse' who wowed Paolo Maldini - 'he's out of this world good'

Big changes are ahead for incoming Liverpool new boy Milos Kerkez in the coming months – but the most significant might be the loss of his VIP barber.

Bournemouth team-mate and goal-scoring sensation Justin Kluivert has been trusted with the clippers in the last few months – which coincided with a good run of form.

And, well, we will let readers make their own minds up on whether Kerkez’s skin fades have been sharp or shaky.

But one thing is guaranteed: Liverpool are signing a gem in Kerkez. Free-flowing full back, an all-round good guy, according to those who know him best.

A rough diamond, sure, but one that can be polished by Arne Slot and, at 21, the perfect age to go on and be one of the very best full backs in the game.

He is the modern archetype of a full back, able to defend his position but then spring forward at a moment's notice to whip in a delicious cross for an onrushing striker. 

Just watch Bournemouth's opening goal in a 2-2 draw at Tottenham in March. Kerkez wins the ball on the edge of his own penalty area, bursts forward 70 yards in a matter of seconds, then stops, looks up and delivers a perfect ball for Marcus Tavernier to finish. Liverpool fans may recognise such a talent having spent the last eight years watching Andy Robertson rack up assists. 

It has been clear for some months now that Kerkez would be heading to Anfield. Mail Sport revealed back on December 15 that the Cherries left back was on the radar as a potential signing and we were also first to report the asking price of £45million.

Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes has maintained strong relationships with Bournemouth since he left the Vitality Stadium last year and it is understood a breakthrough was made six weeks ago for this transfer to go through.

Bournemouth and transfer chief Simon Francis stood firm on their £45m valuation but have now shaken hands on a slightly reduced package of around £40m, with only finer details holding up a total agreement.

So, what are Liverpool getting for their money?

Adam Bogdan, the former Reds goalkeeper and 21-cap Hungary international, tells Mail Sport: ‘In Hungary, we are in dreamland. We already have a player in Dominik Szoboszlai who has contributed massively to Liverpool winning the title because of his work rate.

‘And now we have Kerkez. He has had two very good seasons in the Premier League. If you look around Europe at left backs in terms of the ability to bomb forward but also defend one-versus-one, he has proven that with his mentality, he is absolutely top class.

‘He is so eager and self-assured that he belongs at the top. But he sacrificed so much in his youth career. He has a very strong family behind him. He has big dogs that he spends his time with… his focus is purely on football and family.

‘A super fun guy, it is always nice to have him around, and he has the self-confidence which is absolutely vital at a top team with these pressures.

‘I spoke to him, he is very polite, very clear in his mind, knows how much he has sacrificed and put in to get where he is. For him, it feels so normal to play in the Premier League. He sees it as an obvious prize or outcome for his efforts and mentality.

‘When he first came into the national team, I heard stories about him… he brought the place alive, made a lot of jokes, and made it fun to be in the building. My friend at AZ Alkmaar said he absolutely adored him, the work rate, the effort.

‘At his local team in Hungary, Gyor, they tell me he was like a “young horse”, kicking everybody but with sheer commitment and liveliness. It was always very clear to see that he would be at the top one day.’

Kerkez’s journey is only getting started, really, but the backstory is interesting for this well-travelled youngster. Born in Vrbas, Serbia, he moved his family to Austria for five years to play for the academy of Rapid Wien.

It didn't end well in Vienna - with ‘behavioural issues’ and ‘being hard to manage’ cited for leaving Austria - but he found his feet again at Hungarian club Gyor, four-time domestic champions who reached the European Cup semi-final in 1965, losing to Eusebio's Benfica.

It was at this time that Kerkez found his other hobbies in life. ‘I like to be there the whole day and just fish,’ he once said, also talking about how he could have become a professional swimmer.

His older brother Marko is also a professional footballer and spent last season at Aris Thessaloniki on loan from Partizan Belgrade. Marko is also a left back, though Milos used to be a left winger in youth football – hence his superb attacking powers.

At Gyor, he was spotted by the great Paolo Maldini and was flown in on a private jet to sign for Milan.

It didn’t quite work in Italy but it was in the Netherlands where he first made a name for himself at AZ Alkmaar, one of Slot’s former clubs. In just one season there, he did enough to be nominated for the 2023 Golden Boy award, which was won by Jude Bellingham.

He also made friends there with Manchester City new boy Tijani Reijnders and the Dutch club will get a bit of pocket money in sell-on clauses for the pair, who will now link up in north-west England.

‘Milos is out-of-this-world good,’ was the verdict from AZ columnist Brian Wijker at the time, and he tells us now: ‘I loved his passion from day one, he was something I’ve never seen before at AZ.’

Kerkez moved to England for £15m and became a true star, earning a nomination for PFA Young Player of the Year on Thursday. As the Bournemouth Daily Echo's Alexander Smith tells us: ‘He was among the Cherries' most consistent performers this season. He started every single one of their 38 games, the only player to do so, and consistently performed.

‘That shows excellent reliability and robustness – and he has been brilliant at both ends of the pitch. He was strong defensively, dealing well with most threats coming forward, while being a threat himself going forward with two goals and six assists.’

So that is Kerkez the player, but Liverpool are also buying a calm guy. His parents, Sebastijan and Tiijana, live with him in Poole, near Bournemouth.

More old Hungarian newspaper clippings have Kerkez as saying: ‘I live simply. I would rather go home for my vacation and be with family or friends in my hometown than travel to Ibiza, for example.

‘No two faces. How I am on the pitch is how I am outside of it. Everywhere I am the same. I am not pretending to be something. You always remember where you’ve been, where you are now so don’t change, just go with it and stay humble. That is what my dad says.’

Kerkez will become the second Hungarian in Liverpool’s first team but not the only player from the country to make the move this summer, with youth goalkeeper Armin Pecsi moving from Puskas Academia. ‘Intelligent, calm and eager, he can be special,’ is the verdict of Bogdan.

The former Liverpool goalkeeper adds: ‘Milos is just a good lad. But he is not the sort to come into a building and be quiet for the first half of the season. He will settle in straight away. He is going to be a really good match with Andy Robertson.

‘Robertson has the wealth of experience, the knowledge of how to win trophies, how to be the left back for a top, top, top team in England. Whereas Milos is a young player who is eager to learn, that combination is something to be really happy with.'