'It's a massive jump'- Andy Robertson leaps to Milos Kerkez's defence after Arne Slot brutally subs new signing off in first half against Burnley

Liverpool signed Kerkez from Bournemouth for £40 million ($55m) this summer but the left-back has flattered to deceive so far. He was subbed off in the first half of the Reds' win over Burnley, as he was on a yellow card, and when team-mate Robertson replaced him, the Scotland international arguably did a much better job. Although Kerkez has pushed Robertson to the bench this season, the former Hull City man called for patience, saying it is a "massive jump" moving to a team like Liverpool.

He said: "It's a massive jump. I came from Hull, he's come from Bournemouth, and it's probably quite similar. There are a lot more eyes on you in a Liverpool jersey than at those two clubs. He [Kerkez] has transitioned well. There's a lot of information and a lot of different ways of playing and he just needs to keep going and keep his confidence. I have no doubt in the future he will be a fantastic left-back for Liverpool and that's the main thing."

Robertson showed his class yet again when he said he would try to help Kerkez as much as he could, despite him taking his starting spot at Liverpool. He certainly won't want to go out with a whimper as he enters the last year of his Reds contract.

He added: "He (Kerkez) is only young and I think we forget that. You try to help them as much as you can but you want to put pressure on them and you want to play games. He will be the starting left-back for Liverpool in the future and it's up to me to push him this season and help him improve. He just needs to keep working hard and not let today affect him, which it won't as he's a confident lad, and I'll help him as much as I can."

When asked about why Kerkez was subbed before half time against Burnley, manager Arne Slot said: "It was because he got a yellow card. I think the fans here thought a chance for them to win the game is if we ended up with a second yellow. With Milos I can never be 100 percent he doesn’t make the next foul, then the fans are on top of the referee."

It remains to be seen if the Dutchman will trust in Kerkez to come good in their Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday or if the wise old head of Robertson will get a chance to shine.